The 27th summit of the African Union that began on Sunday in Kigali provided an opportunity for the leaders to make public the first African Union passport. The heads of state met previously on camera and discussed the crisis in South Sudan, the succession of Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma at the head of the AU Commission and the eventual return of the Kingdom of Morocco. The AU gave the honor to Presidents Paul Kagame and Idriss Deby to present the AU passports. Heads of State and Ministers of Foreign Affairs ministers will probably be the first to be issued the African Union passports in Kigali.

This session of the general assembly is expected to elect a new commission chair to replace Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, whose mandate has come to an end. We understand three candidates are vying to succeed Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma and they include the Foreign Ministers of Botswana and Equatorial Guinea and the former vice-president of Uganda Speciosa Wandira-Kazibwe. Cat calls have greeted the choices from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

Announced at a previous meeting of Heads of State and Government of the African Union, the passport by the AU is now a reality and President Idris Deby of Chad and President Paul Kagame of Rwanda were the first to receive the document during the opening of the 27th summit of the pan-African organization in Kigali.

The African passport aims to promote the free movement of Africans in their continent. As such, the African passport is a tool in the service of African integration. It is known to all, that the free movement of people and the integration of Africans remains a onerous task. In spite of the ongoing integration process in most regions and at the African Union, the free movement of persons is still hampered by red tape. It is impossible for an African, in most areas, to move from one state to another without a visa.

Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai (Cameroon Intelligence Report)