Nigeria, April 7 -- A draft decision to endorse former Senegalese president Macky Sall's candidacy for United Nations (UN) Secretary-General has been rejected by the African Union (AU). In a 27 March statement, the AU said 20 of its 55 member states either objected or requested an extension of the 24-hour deadline.

Rather than signalling African disunity, the outcome highlights the AU's ability to manage and regulate the endorsement of African candidacies for international positions.

The failure of the draft decision appears to end an atypical diplomatic sequence surrounding Africa's only candidacy to succeed António Guterres. A key factor was the absence of formal backing from Mr Sall's own country, Senegal, where his political le...