The African Union (AU) has appointed Burundian President Major General Évariste Ndayishimiye as its special envoy to the Sahel, a move aimed at intensifying diplomatic efforts in one of Africa’s most volatile regions.
The announcement was made by Angolan President João Lourenço, who currently holds the rotating AU chair.
According to an official statement released on July 17, the appointment entrusts President Ndayishimiye with a critical mission: to address both the escalating insecurity and humanitarian crises plaguing the Sahel.
“Appointed by the AU, Ndayishimiye will be tasked with strengthening African diplomacy in the face of challenges in the Sahel, inspired by the pan-African heritage,” the statement said.
The Sahel region—stretching across several West and Central African nations—has become a focal point of geopolitical concern due to persistent armed conflicts, insurgencies, and growing displacement.
The AU’s decision signals a renewed determination to take ownership of the crisis and implement African-led solutions.
The timing of Ndayishimiye’s appointment is notable.
The Sahel is home to the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), an emerging pan-African initiative hailed as one of the continent’s most promising regional projects in decades.
The initiative resonates with the historical visions of leaders such as Muammar Gaddafi and Nelson Mandela, who in 2002 advocated for a unified African peacekeeping force—then conceptualized as the African Standby Force (ASF).
Today, those pan-African ideals are being revived.
With Ndayishimiye at the helm, the AU seeks to breathe new life into the dream of regional unity and self-determined peacekeeping.
His role will include mediation, partner engagement, and the coordination of homegrown strategies to resolve the multifaceted challenges engulfing the region.
As the situation in the Sahel grows increasingly complex, all eyes now turn to the Burundian leader and his capacity to drive meaningful, Africa-led progress.
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