AFRICAN Union Chairperson, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Sunday called on African country leaders to work together to stop acts of violence and terrorism in Africa when speaking at a virtual session of the African Union (AU).
“We must condemn the acts of violence, terrorism and violent extremism as seen in the Sahel region and that now is spreading to other parts of the continent, including Mozambique,” said Ramaphosa.
Ramaphosa reiterated the AU’s commitment to “silence the guns” in Africa when speaking about the concerning security situation.
He also called for practical steps to realize a set of sustainable development goals including poverty and hunger eradication, and inclusive and sustainable economic growth in 10 years.
“The AU Master Roadmap on Practical Steps to Silence the Guns clearly outlines the outcomes we seek to achieve as a continent. It is therefore appropriate that we reiterate our commitment to extend the Master Roadmap for the next ten years, while we also continue to declare September of each year as Africa Amnesty Month,” said Ramaphosa.
“We have welcomed with appreciation and adopted the report of the Chairperson of the AU Commission. We will use its recommendations as the foundation of our mission to silence the guns. It is of great concern to all of us that incidents of conflicts are intensifying and spreading to all regions of the continent.”
AU leaders are expected to extend their year-end deadline for peace on the continent by another decade, according to local media.
The summit commenced with a minute of silence in Memory of Fallen Peacekeepers and Victims of Violence in Africa, which was followed by a statement by the Chairperson of African Union.
The summit was expected to adopt a Johannesburg Declaration to “reaffirm their commitment to contributing to an Africa free of conflict and wars,” Ramaphosa’s office said in a statement.
The summits were originally planned for the end of May and were supposed to have marked one of the highlights of Ramaphosa’s year-long tenure as AU chairperson, but they had to be postponed due to the Covid-19 lock-downs at the time.
Rachel Morake, a director in the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco), told an Institute for Security Studies (ISS) webinar on Thursday that the AU had acknowledged its aim of silencing the guns could not be realised by the end of this year.
(SOURCE: CGTN AFRICA)
