The chairperson of the Commission of the African Union (AU), Jean Ping, decided on Sunday to dispatch Cote D'ivoire's former foreign minister Amara Essy as an envoy to Antananarivo, capital of Madagascar.

In a statement, Ping said he made this decision given "the evolving situation in Madagascar and the resulting concern of the AU."

Essy will arrive shortly in Madagascar, the AU chief said. "Once on the ground, he will assess the situation in consultation with all parties concerned."

Essy was elected secretary-general of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) in Lusaka, Zambia on July 9, 2001, with the task of leading the OAU's transformation into the AU over the course of one year. He took office as secretary-general in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on Sept. 17, 2001. Essy served in that position until July 9, 2002, when the OAU became the AU and he was appointed as interim chairperson of the AU.

In the statement, Ping renewed his call to the parties concerned in Madagascar "to exercise utmost restraint, refrain from any action likely to aggravate the situation and work to find a speedy solution to the crisis through dialogue."

On Saturday, at least 28 people were killed and more than 200 wounded in Antananarivo after riot police opened fire on an opposition demonstration in the country's capital.

Thousands of opposition supporters on Saturday marched towards President Marc Ravalomanana's compound when riot police opened fire.

Earlier, during a rally attended by 20,000 people, opposition leader Andry Rajoelina, who was sacked as mayor of the capital city days ago, declared himself head of a "transition higher authority".

(Xinhua News Agency February 9, 2009)