Egypt's Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi Elected New Chairman of African Union

CAIRO, LELEMUKU.COM - Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi has been elected chairman of the African Union at the continental body's summit in Ethiopia.

The rights group Amnesty International warned that el-Sissi's chairmanship might undermine the African Union's human rights mechanisms.

The rights group said Egypt since 2015 has orchestrated a sustained political attack against the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights, the body that aims to monitor African states' human rights records. “Dozens of cases alleging serious human rights violations have been lodged against Egypt at the ACHPR,” it said.

El-Sissi's election brought to an end the one-year chairmanship of Rwanda's President Paul Kagame.

African Union chairmen set agendas of issues to be addressed during their one-year tenure. (VOA)

Egypt Says Archaeologists Find Ancient Tombs in Nile Delta

CAIRO, LELEMUKU.COM - Egypt says archaeologists have uncovered ancient tombs dating back to the Second Intermediate Period, 1782-1570 B.C., in the Nile Delta.

The Antiquities Ministry said Wednesday that archaeologists also found 20 burial sites dating back to the Predynastic Period in Kom al-Kholgan archaeological site, about 140 kilometers (87 miles) north of Cairo.

Mostafa Waziri, secretary general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, says the tombs contain ancient animal remains, stone artifacts and pottery fragments with drawings.

The ministry says the remains were not well-preserved.

In recent years, Egypt has heavily promoted new archaeological finds to international media and diplomats in the hope of attracting more visitors to the country. The vital tourism sector has suffered from years of political turmoil since the 2011 uprising. (VOA)