Mugabe officially appointed African Union chairman

THE BOSS: Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe 

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe took over the post of African Union chairman on Friday, replacing Mauritania's President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz.

The veteran leader, Africa's oldest president aged 90, shook hands with Abel Aziz in front of fellow leaders to applause at the AU summit in the Ethiopian capital.

Mugabe, is the continent's oldest leader - and one of its most controversial post-colonial figures.

He initially won favour in Western capitals when he preached racial and national reconciliation after taking power in 1980 in the wake of a brutal guerrilla war against white-minority rule. To most of Africa, he was an anti-colonial hero.

But Mugabe's lustre quickly faded. From crushing political dissent to ushering in disastrous land reforms that saw the economy crumble, many accuse Mugabe of turning the regional breadbasket into a basket case.

Despite this, Mugabe - who turns 91 next month - remains admired in much of Africa and was already serving as the chairman of the regional Southern African Development Community.

Aditi Lalbahadur, analyst at South African Institute of International Affairs, described Mugabe's appointment as AU chairman as "an endorsement by the leaders of Africa".

As for the role he might play in his new post, Harare-based independent political analyst Earnest Mudzengi said Mugabe would fare no differently from his predecessors.

"Problems affecting the continent are complex and Mugabe will only be exposed to them and no changes are expected," Mudzengi said.

"It's not a very encouraging sign," sighed one African diplomat, who asked not to be identified. "The Mugabe style belongs to a past generation, the one that takes power hostage, and this is no longer the AU creed."