Prof. Awet T. Weldemichael

Former refugee goatherd, polyglot public intellectual, author, husband, father. Retweets are NOT endorsements.

[Prof. Awet T. Weldemichael @Prof_Awet]

It was one of the greatest honours of my life to be inducted into the Royal Society of Canada, College of New Scholars. This is to be 📌📍 on my walls and cherished in my heart. Merci!

[RSC // SRC @src_rsc]

#rscBRAVOsrc to #CollegeofNewScholars Member @Prof_Awet @queensu. He is a scholar of Northeast Africa and island Southeast Asia with a focus on contemporary history and political economy. He is a former refugee goatherd turned professor and award-winning author of several books.

[Prof. Awet T. Weldemichael @Prof_Awet]

Whatever the shortcomings of #Ethiopia’s 7th General elections, .@4thPresidentKE’s points are crucial to take stock of and build on for democratic consolidation the country across #Africa.

[Prof. Awet T. Weldemichael @Prof_Awet]

After 2+ years of belching up nonsense, this institute has come up with sensible pointers on #Ethiopia-#Eritrea relations. These are welcome proposals; hammering out the details requires staying the course of current thinking - & NOT reverting to yesteryears' undiluted hogwash.

[Prof. Awet T. Weldemichael @Prof_Awet]

ርሑስ መበል 35 ዓመት ሓርነት #ኤርትራ!! ንስለ ህዝብናን ሃገርናን ዋጋ ዝኸፈሉን ዝኸፍሉ ዘለውን ክብርን ምስጋናን። ዝተጋናጸፍናዮ ገስጋስ ክንጽንብል ከለና፥ ተሪፉና ዘሎ እንዳ ኣማዕደና ኢና። ክብሪ ንዘይጸዓድ ህዝብና፥ ሞጎስ ንጀጋኑ ሰማእታትና!

[Sherwin Bryce-Pease @sherwiebp]

Chile's Former President Michelle Bachelet is the first candidate running to be the next Secretary General to present her vision statement to member states and take questions in an interactive dialogue that includes civil society.

We put together some snippets from her vision statement

#sabcnews

[Prof. Awet T. Weldemichael @Prof_Awet]

Excellencies! I thank you for your decorous & substantive exchange. Several candidates could be put forward from #Africa. So perhaps #Senegal, #Ethiopia, #Rwanda, #SouthAfrica & #Nigeria could put forward .@DrTedros as #Africa’s second candidate. If not I’m all for .@mbachelet

[Amb. Willy Nyamitwe @willynyamitwe]

Excellency,

Allow me, at the outset, to welcome the more measured and analytical tone of your intervention.

On the substance, a number of clarifications need to be made.

First, the submission of the candidacy of H.E. Macky Sall was carried out by the Government of the Republic of #Burundi, in full compliance with the relevant provisions of the United Nations Charter. Established practice recognizes the prerogative of Member States to put forward candidatures, which are subsequently considered within the United Nations process. In this regard, no State is legally precluded from submitting a candidacy. You are certainly aware of this.

Second, the Decision in question cannot be reduced to an individual initiative of the Chairperson of the @_AfricanUnion (AU). It emanates from a meeting of the AU Bureau, duly convened through Note Verbale referenced CCP/OSC/A/A1/052.03.26. The Bureau, a properly mandated organ, deliberated and acted within its prerogatives. It is therefore inaccurate, as I have indicated, to portray this process as a unilateral decision by the Chairperson of the Union.

Third, it is important to recall that, pursuant to Article 6 of the Constitutive Act of the African Union, “the Assembly is the supreme organ of the Union.” As such, it remains sovereign in its decisions, including in matters relating to the endorsement of candidatures, and cannot be absolutely bound by subsidiary procedural mechanisms.

Fourth, the role of the Ministerial Committee on African Candidatures within the International System is fully acknowledged and remains essential for continental coordination. However, practice shows that certain candidatures have, at times, been advanced outside a strictly sequential application of this mechanism.

In fact, recent practice within a major international organisation demonstrates that, in the context of a re-election, a candidacy was not submitted by the State of nationality of the candidate, but was rather supported and carried forward by three African States, including #Rwanda. This precedent underscores the flexibility inherent in international practice, whereby the sponsorship of candidatures may be assumed by third States in light of prevailing political circumstances.

Fifth, the recourse to a silence procedure does not, in itself, constitute a breach of #AfricanUnion rules and regulations. On the contrary, it is an established working method within the African Union, regularly used to facilitate decision-making between formal sessions, including on sensitive matters.

In the present case, the silence procedure was not initiated unilaterally by the Chairperson of the Union, but, like I said, followed a meeting of the Bureau duly convened and mandated to consider the matter. It therefore reflects a collective process, not an individual decision.

Moreover, the silence procedure does not preclude consultation or discussion. On the contrary, it provides Member States with an opportunity to express objections within a defined timeframe.

Accordingly, while it is essential to uphold the rules, it is equally important to take into account the reality of institutional practice, as well as the margin of initiative afforded to Member States.

The debate on #Africa-n candidatures deserves to be conducted with legal rigor, but also with political discernment and in a spirit of continental unity.

I thank you

[Prof. Awet T. Weldemichael @Prof_Awet]

Former prime minister of #Senegal, Madam Aminata Touré, explains how the #AU chair’s nomination of Senegal’s former president to the SecGen of the #UN was flawed and why #Dakar won’t allow its diplomacy be swayed by #Burundi.

[Dr Guy Karema, PhD @guykarema]

🔴 𝗢𝗡𝗨 - 𝗖𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗲 𝗠𝗮𝗰𝗸𝘆 𝗦𝗮𝗹𝗹 : 𝗔𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝗧𝗼𝘂𝗿é 𝗱é𝗻𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘂𝗻𝗲 𝗱é𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱𝘂𝗶𝘁𝗲 

Aminata Touré, haut représentant du président sénégalais, a exprimé de vives réserves sur la candidature de Macky Sall au poste de Secrétaire général des Nations unies. Elle a dénoncé une démarche qu’elle juge mal conduite et a affirmé que la diplomatie sénégalaise ne saurait se placer dans le sillage de celle du Burundi.

[Prof. Awet T. Weldemichael @Prof_Awet]

AND Macky Sall .@Macky_Sall (former president and prime minister of #Senegal). Source of financing “personal and public”.
I believe #Africa could do better with a different candidate. But #UNSG seat isn't most pressing issue Africa faces in a time of regional & global madness.

[Prof. Awet T. Weldemichael @Prof_Awet]

The candidacy for the Secretary General of the #UN has lately stirred some controversy in #Africa. On March 2, current Chair of the #AU, President Ndayishimiye .@GeneralNeva of Burundi, submitted the candidacy of former #Senegal/ese president .@Macky_Sall.

[Prof. Awet T. Weldemichael @Prof_Awet]

Rafael Grossi .@rafaelmgrossi (#Argentina, D.G. of the AIEA). Source of financing is “personal”.

Rebeca Grynspan .@RGrynspan (Costa Rica, former vice president #CostaRica & current SecGen of the UN Conference on Trade & Development). Source of financing is “public and private”.

[Prof. Awet T. Weldemichael @Prof_Awet]

Leading with care and principle, Dr. Tedros has proven his mettle, beyond any time, during the COVID-19 global crisis. He is a unifying figure #Africa will be proud of.
I appeal to you to harmonize your positions & mobilize continent-wide consensus behind his candidacy in 5 days.

[Prof. Awet T. Weldemichael @Prof_Awet]

H.E. .@GeneralNeva
H.E. .@AbiyAhmedAli
H.E. .@PaulKagame
H.E. .@ymahmoudali
I write to respectfully urge you to expeditiously nominate Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (.@DrTedros ) as #Africa’s candidate for the position of Secretary General of the UN on or before April 2nd.

[Prof. Awet T. Weldemichael @Prof_Awet]

No, Your Excellency. The office of #AU Chair is powerful but not powerful enough to single-handedly nominate a person of it choosing to such a consequential role on behalf of remaining 53 heads of state. Had M. Sall been backed by all 54, vote by silence would’ve gone smoothly.

[Amb. Willy Nyamitwe @willynyamitwe]

The statement by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of #Rwanda (@onduhungirehe) is regrettable in both tone and substance, as it misrepresents established procedures of the @_AfricanUnion and unnecessarily personalizes what is, in essence, a routine institutional process.

First, the use of the Silence Procedure is neither new nor irregular within the African Union. It is a well-established decision-making mechanism that has been applied on numerous occasions. The fact that some Member States chose to break the silence does not constitute a crisis; rather, it reflects normal institutional practice and demonstrates that consultation among Member States is both active and effective.

Second, it is important to recall that H.E. President Evariste Ndayishimiye, in his capacity as Chairperson of the African Union, acted in line with his mandate and in respect of established procedures. His ruling was clear, in French:

“Je voudrais vous remercier pour le soutien affiché en faveur de notre Frère Macky Sall et déclare que le Projet de Décision qui nous a été soumis est adopté. J’instruis la Commission de l’Union Africaine à l’envoyer à tous les États Membres, pour adoption par la procédure du silence, selon les règles et procédures de notre Union.”

“I would like to thank you for the support expressed in favor of our brother Macky Sall and declare that the draft decision submitted to us is adopted. I instruct the African Union Commission to transmit it to all Member States for adoption through the silence procedure, in accordance with the rules and procedures of our Union.”

This instruction explicitly entrusted the African Union Commission with implementing the process in accordance with the Union’s rules and procedures.

Third, the 24-hour timeframe that has been criticized was not determined by the Chairperson of the Union. It resulted from internal handling at the level of the Permanent Representatives’ Committee (PRC) chairmanship, despite reservations expressed by the Legal Counsel and the Secretariat. It is therefore inaccurate to attribute this aspect to the Chairperson.

Fourth, attempts to portray this procedural matter as a “violation of all rules” or as an action that “tarnishes” the African Union are exaggerated and risk undermining the credibility of our continental institutions. Differences in procedural appreciation should be addressed through established diplomatic channels, in a spirit of collegiality and mutual respect.

Furthermore, no decision was imposed on Member States. On the contrary, the fact that silence was broken demonstrates that Member States fully exercised their sovereign right to express their positions, fully in line with the procedures of the African Union.

Finally, it is important to emphasize that matters of such institutional importance call for responsibility, restraint, and respect for diplomatic decorum. Public commentary, particularly when expressed in a tone that is dismissive or inflammatory, does not contribute to constructive engagement and may give the unfortunate impression of a lack of discipline and experience in handling sensitive continental issues.

Our Union is built on mutual respect and quiet diplomacy; it is in this spirit that we should continue to engage, especially on matters of such significance to #Africa’s collective voice on the global stage.

[Prof. Awet T. Weldemichael @Prof_Awet]

No, #Macky #Sall is NOT .@_AfricanUnion consensus candidate; AU Secretariat affirmed that already. AU Chair’s nomination was procedurally flawed (#Rwandan #Nigeria & others have explained). The former #Senegal president is not the best candidate the continent could field either.

[Kennedy Wandera @KennedyWandera_]

The Bureau of the Assembly of the African Union #AU, representing Africa’s five regions and chaired by #Burundi President Évariste Ndayishimiye, has approved the candidacy of former #Senegalese President Macky Sall for UN Secretary General, for "consideration and adoption by the Assembly through the silence procedure".

Macky Sall will be the African Union’s consensus candidate if "no objections are received from more than one-third of Member States eligible to vote by Close of Business on 27 March 2026, in accordance with the applicable Rules of Procedure."

The Bureau says Macky Sall has "recognized leadership experience" and that his "pragmatic and results-oriented approaches, his international network, and his track record, grounded in his commitment to seeking consensus among nations and global powers" fit the profile for the United Nations’ top position.

Video: File footage.

[Prof. Awet T. Weldemichael @Prof_Awet]

Thank the heavens for this. After the mess he had left Sengal in, what good could he possibly do for a UN already in budgetary crises!?!?!?

[Amani Africa @africa_amani]

📢BREAKING: Here is the official announcement from the AU that the motion for endorsing Macky Sall did not receive support in the @_AfricanUnion. In less than 24 hrs (almost unprecedented tight timeline for silence procedure), 20 states including #Senegal from almost all regions broke the silence procedure depositing their objection, thereby rejecting the draft decision.