Djibouti's foreign minister elected to top African Union post

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Djibouti and candidate for Africa Union Commission Mahmoud Ali Youssouf poses for a picture during the 38th African Union (AU) Summit, where leaders will elect a new head of the AU Commission, at the AU Headquarters in Addis

ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - African leaders chose Djibouti's Foreign Minister Mahmoud Ali Youssouf to chair the African Union commission on Saturday at a summit dominated by fears of the Congo war widening into a regional conflict, the country's finance minister said.

In a post on the X platform Djibouti's economy and finance minister, Ilyas Dawaleh, said Youssouf had "won" the election.

Youssouf has been foreign minister since 2005. He was previously Djibouti's ambassador to Egypt and has served as foreign minister in the governments of three presidents.

(Reporting by Dawit Endeshaw; Writing by Elias Biryabarema; editing by David Evans)