US President Barack Obama has addressed the African Union with a warning to African leaders who resist leaving the office when their terms come to an end.
Obama said that Africa could not advance if its leaders refused to step down when their terms ended.
“Nobody should be president for life,” said Obama
President Obama is the first ever US leader to deliver a speech at the 54-member body, with security and action against terrorism dominating the agenda.
Obama was welcomed by AU commission chair, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma saying that Africa claims Obama as one of the sons of the continent.
In his speech he called for an end to the corruption, saying it took money away from development .
Mr Obama made the comments in the first ever address by a US leader to the 54-member AU at its headquarters in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa.
The address marked the end of Mr Obama’s five-day trip to Africa.He visited Kenya and Ethiopia, the headquarters of the AU.
Mr Obama said African leaders should respect their constitutions, and step down when their term ends.
“Nobody should be president for life,” he said.
”Africa’s democracy is at risk when leaders refuse to step aside when their terms end…
”I actually think I’m a pretty good president.I think if I ran, I would win. But I can’t beacause of the law-‘
Before heading to Ethiopia, he first visited his ancestral home of Kenya.
On Monday, Mr Obama praised Ethiopia as an “outstanding partner” in taking on militant Islamists.
After visiting Kenya, the country of his father’s birth, Obama went to the Ethiopian capital, the seat of the pan-African body, where he already praised the country as a key partner in the war against Al-Qaeda-affiliated Al-Shabaab militants in Somalia.
“Part of the reasons we’ve seen this shrinkage of Al-Shabaab in East Africa is that we’ve had our regional teams,” Mr Obama said, referring to African Union and Somali government troops.
“We don’t need to send our own Marines in to do the fighting: the Ethiopians are tough fighters. We’ve got more work to do. We have to now keep the pressure on,” Mr Obama said.
After talks on Monday with Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn, whose ruling party won 100 per cent of seats in parliament two months ago, Mr Obama gave the blunt message that Ethiopia — while credited with strong economic growth — needed to improve basic rights.
Activists have complained that the US president’s visit to Addis Ababa could add credibility to a government they accuse of suppressing democratic rights — including the jailing of journalists and critics — with anti-terror legislation.
Mr Obama addressed those concerns, saying “there is still more work to do”.
“There are certain principles we think have to be upheld,” he added.
“Nobody questions our need to engage with large countries where we may have differences on these issues. We don’t advance or improve these issues by staying away,” he said.
