President Nangolo Mbumba has assured Algerian president Abdelmadjid Tebboune that he would give careful consideration to that country’s request for support for its candidacy at the upcoming African Union Summit next month.
Mohamed Meziane, Algeria’s minister of communication and special envoy, yesterday paid a courtesy call on Mbumba to ganner support for Algeria’s campaign for election during that summit.
Salah Francis and Selma Malika are the two Algerians vying for the deputy chairperson position during the summit. Other candidates for the same position are from Egypt, Libya and Morocco.
During a courtesy visit, the Algerian special envoy presented Mbumba with a letter and a sword as a gift at State House in Windhoek.
The President expressed confidence whilst addressing the letter’s contents, stating, “I want to assure you, even before reading the letter, that my senior brother’s request will be given proper consideration. That’s how strongly I feel about it.”
Although he did not read the letter immediately, Mbumba acknowledged that he was aware of the general context, particularly regarding the upcoming African Union leadership meeting.
“Normally, it is known for people to be given a letter and a book. But when somebody gives you the letter, from his president to you, and also gives you some instrument of defence and honour, and majesty of the authority of offices, you will have no other words. The words thank you are not enough,” he expressed.
He also took the opportunity to highlight the strong relationship between Namibia and Algeria, which dates back to the Namibian liberation struggle.
Mbumba emphasised the importance of diplomatic ties and expressed a desire for further collaboration, particularly in training, education, and the oil and gas sectors.
“As I started saying, we have a long relationship. We have a full diplomatic presence in our capitals. We want other things to happen also, especially in the field of training and education, oil and gas, in the field of specific training for specific people to maintain our systems and our economy,” he noted.
He also reflected on ongoing efforts by both Namibia and Algeria to ensure Africa has permanent representation on the Security Council. He said such commitment to this cause must continue.
Additionally, he addressed the need for the Sahrawi Republic to achieve full recognition and independence, as well as the rights of the Palestinian people to their own land and authority.
Mbumba reiterated the ongoing cooperation and mutual support between Algeria and Namibia, emphasising their shared goals and commitment to addressing these significant issues.
“We have an issue of the bigger, bigger question of the Middle East. The Palestinian people deserve their land, deserve their authority, deserve their independence,” he said.
Algeria is the second country to lobby for Mbumba’s vote for the support of their candidature after another candidate, former Prime Minister of Kenya Raila Odinga last week met Mbumba as he intensified his African Union Commission chairmanship campaigns.
Other candidates for the same position are Djibouti’s foreign minister Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, former Mauritius foreign minister Anil Kumarsingh Gayan and former foreign minister of Madagascar, Richard James Randriamandrato.
The electorate is composed of Heads of State of active members of the continental bloc. Each candidate has the uphill task of convincing the majority of the African Union members to vote for him.
A candidate will need a two-thirds majority vote to become the fifth Commission Chair, succeeding incumbent chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat in the February 2025 elections.
Odinga told journalists afterwards that the meeting with Mbumba discussed his plan for the continent, and also sought Mbumba’s support in the upcoming polls.
Mbumba did not pronounce himself at the time on the call for support.
The third candidate for the position is Fawzia Yusuf Haji Adam, a notable Somali politician who has served in key government roles, such as minister of foreign affairs and deputy prime minister of Somalia from 4 November 2012 to 17 January 2014.