Antoinette Batumubwira is a Burundi

Burundi

Burundi , officially the Republic of Burundi , is a landlocked country in the Great Lakes region of Eastern Africa bordered by Rwanda to the north, Tanzania to the east and south, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west. Its capital is Bujumbura...

an politician. She was foreign minister

Foreign minister

A Minister of Foreign Affairs, or foreign minister, is a cabinet minister who helps form the foreign policy of a sovereign state. The foreign minister is often regarded as the most senior ministerial position below that of the head of government . It is often granted to the deputy prime minister in...

 of the country from 2005 to 2009. She is married to former foreign minister Jean-Marie Ngendahayo.

In late 2007, Batumubwira was named as a candidate to succeed Alpha Oumar Konaré

Alpha Oumar Konaré

Alpha Oumar Konaré was the President of Mali for two five-year terms , and was Chairperson of the African Union Commission from 2003 to 2008.-Scholarly career:...

 as Chairperson of the Commission of the African Union in the election for that post in early 2008. The government tried to obtain the support of other African countries for her candidacy, and East African countries pledged that they would support her; however, the government later withdrew her candidacy and backed Jean Ping

Jean Ping

Jean Ping is a Gabonese diplomat and politician who is currently the Chairperson of the Commission of the African Union...

 of Gabon

Gabon

Gabon , officially the Gabonese Republic is a state in west central Africa sharing borders with Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the north, and with the Republic of the Congo curving around the east and south. The Gulf of Guinea, an arm of the Atlantic Ocean is to the west...

.