ASU Delegation Receives ‘Outstanding’ Award at Model African Union

Members of the African Students Union at NDSU received the Outstanding Delegation Award in the executive council at the Model African Union conference.

The Model African Union conference, a simulation of the African Union, attracted 53 students from across the United States. Students Rafiki Assumani, Adil Mohamed, Oluchi Okakpu, Ahmed Suleiman and Ahmed Abdille comprised the NDSU delegation.

These students represented Southern Sudan in their third visit to the conference this year. They drafted resolutions and presented their case to the Model African Union regarding social and political problems plaguing the newly formed independent state.

They also discussed issues related to the oil-rich region of Abeyi that North Sudan is attempting to annex.

“We wanted our students to understand how the African Union works, as well as diplomatic rules in order to be able, in the future, to bring upon fundamental changes to the African continent,” Assumani said.

The conference aims to teach students how the African Union functions. It also portrays action from behind the diplomatic scenes to the delegates. Students learn how to mediate conflicts, solve arising crises, and write and debate resolutions using parliamentarian rules.

“Winning the outstanding delegation award in the executive council was a great honor to NDSU as well as ASU,” Assumani said. “It is a proof that we represented well NDSU and portrayed its good image of excellence. We hope that this will help other students understand that even in extracurricular activities, it is imperative that we keep the culture of excellence that NDSU emphasizes.”

The Model African Union conference took place Feb. 21 through 24 at Washington, D.C.