Djibouti has criticised President William Ruto's comments following the loss of his preferred candidate for the African Union Commission (AUC) chairperson.
The remarks came hours after Mahmoud Ali Youssouf of Djibouti was announced the winner, securing the majority of votes from Heads of State.
In a post on X, Ambassador Moussa Mohamed Omar, a communication expert at Djibouti's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, said the vote showed that Heads of State refused to let the African Union be influenced by Kenya's domestic politics.
In response to President Ruto on Citizen TV Kenya: claiming Africa "lost an opportunity" is dishonest. 33 heads of state chose Mahmoud, the right choice for Africa's challenges, refusing to let the AU be hostage to Kenyan domestic politics.
