Assalamualaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh.
Her Excellency the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Senegalese Abroad,
Mrs. Aissata Tall Sall, your Excellency Ministers of Foreign Affairs and
Defense…
Your Excellency attendees…
At this outset, I would like to express my highest appreciation and
respect to His Excellency the President of the Republic of Senegal, Mr.
Macky Sall, and the government of Senegal for their continued
support and sponsorship of this outstanding event, to reinforce the
vital roll of Senegal’s diplomacy towards peace and the interest of
Africa and its peoples.
Greetings to you from your brothers and sisters in Libya
Our meeting today comes at a critical phase in the world, which
reconfirms the importance of;
The continuation of such events,
Requires holding joint summits
Periodic technical meetings,
in addition to continuing direct contact between the countries of Africa
and its vital neighborhood on immediate and strategic issues of
common interest.
we also need to intensify cooperation between our countries and the
international community and international and local organizations,
working in the fields of Humanitarian assistance, conflict resolution
and peace-building, Capacity Building and the support for local
communities and civil society organizations.
The event of the 8th International Forum on Peace and Security in
Africa, which is hosted annually in the capital Dakar, is an opportunity
for the voices of Africa and Africans to be heard by the international
community. It is also an occasion to discuss means of cooperation
between our countries and coordinate efforts to confront global crises
that cast a shadow on the stability of our continent and the security of
our people.
Honorable Ministers. Dear attendees.
Answering the questions of sovereignty, stability, development and
peace in the continent of Africa leads us against our will to recall the
past of this continent and the history of its peoples and the discussion
on these issues will always lead us to face a history of unfortunate and
tragic events in which people of this continent faced external
challenges and abuses of their human rights, These challenges have
always been an influential factor that undermines the chances of
peace, harmony and unity among people of Africa or between the
neighboring countries of the continent, Therefore, our unity and
coherence of our position is the way to confront the external
challenges facing the continent of Africa.
Although decades have passed since the independence of African
countries, we are still suffering today from the consequences of the
colonial legacy, the end of the Cold War, the war on terror, and the
emergence of terrorist groups in different regions of the continent,
which prompted active forces of the international community to pursue
and confront them in different regions, protecting peace and security. It
is also possible to observe the decreasing effectiveness of the United
Nations system in resolving conflicts within Africa, and the persistence
of many issues without resolution for years.
It can be said that most of Africa’s internal crises are in part categorized
by what can be defined as attempts to redefine national identities
within many African countries. In many cases, they are externally
motivated.
The outbreak of several civil and ethnic wars were related to this trend
that was created by the reality that the borders between african
countries were drawn by foreign countries at the time of
independence, and transforming differences, diversity, tribal and ethnic
extension across boarders to a source of tension instead of a source of
strength and wealth for the people of the African continent.
Honorable Ministers. Dear attendees.
Many African countries face difficulties in maintaining their sovereignty
due to the ambitions of their neighbors and their aggressive behavior,
or due to the inability of governments to extend control within their
countries, has led to an increasing need for some countries to search
for an external ally – To impose internal stability or to counter external
aggression, who may be within the region or beyond the boarders of
continent.
Today in Africa,we need to review our position on the map of global
events; We cannot demand others solve our problems at the time
when the voice of peace and dialogue between us has decreased, and
the voice of armed violence and resorting to the option of war has
increased ,we must conclude economic agreements instead and
transform Africa into a destination for investment.
The inability of Africa,
Despite all the continuous efforts to strengthen the African Union and
its institutions, Africa is still unable to face any consequences of global
crises, which makes us today in a position of reaction rather than
action.
European Union today, despite its cohesion and strength, is facing real
difficulties in facing the energy and the economic crises due to war in
Ukraine, Africa has failed to benefit from what the continent witnessed
as a result of the repercussions of the covid 19 pandemic and the
global vaccine crisis in terms of response or cooperation in between
African countries.
Therefore, fears of not being able to produce a unified African position
in the face of the repercussions of a potential food crises on the
continent are realistic and require the design of an urgent African plan
to confront this reality.
Strengthening the sovereignty of Africans over their countries,while
facing external challenges is linked to each country building its national
economy, and obtaining the support from the rest of the continenet, in
addition, Africa’s sovereignty stems from the implementation of
comprehensive reforms of the security and military sectors to be an
effective tool to stabilize and prevent infighting.
The initiatives led by African countries or African organizations in fields
of entrepreneurship and improving the economic and scientific
conditions, as well as projects that achieve transformation in fields of
investment in alternative energy, are urgently required and the African
people remain crucial in achieving these goals, nevertheless, the need
for African governments to be awareness of the importance of
integration and cooperation among African countries, to
face global crises, which could raise rates of poverty, illegal
immigration, displacement and fighting.
Dear Ministers. Your Excellency attendees
The Establishing of peace in Africa and confronting external challenges,
Consensus on methods to achieve peace and soveienty, requires close
links between economic transformation that must be implemented,
reforming security and military sectors in African countries, developing
systems of governance and democracy and delinquency in good
governance instead of tyranny, and openness instead of extremism and
introvertly, adopting diversity as an opportunity for unity instead of
racism and unilateralism.
Africa has legitimate rights that our peoples have the right to aspire to
a betterfuture.
Among practical ideas that can be discussed today, we urge that the
African Union form a high-level committee, working to develop an
urgent plan at a Pan-African level, to confront any expected food crisis
Or the disruption of supply chains and the expected impact on energy
supplies, due to the repercussions of the Russian-Ukrainian war. This
committee shall present practical proposals to confront the possibility
of Western-Russian conflict moving to Africa, which could develop into
a bloodier stage.
Today, we call for the prioritization of a joint African response in facing
these challenges, rather than attempts to join any party to confront
any global crisis outside the African continent. The international
community today is more serious in facing the risks associated with
international
wars and conflicts and to raise people`s awareness towards the
seriousness of current situation, both globally and regionally.
The collective position required of us, is to put the interests of African
continent above all considerations. This approach contributes to
generate a unified African position to face the challenges of global
crises. The sovereignty of national states in Africa begins with their
people restoring their confidence in their ability to change and building.
And for the relationship between ruling authorities and their peoples to
develop to a level of cooperation and joint action for the stability and
evolution of these states. Our enemy is division, our enemy is violence,
our enemy is poverty, Our enemy is ignorance, Africa will not move to
an effective level in the face of global challenges only by immunizing
our countries and the unity of our peoples from the dangers of war,
division and dependency.
In this regard, I emphasize my country’s position is in favor of
supporting the call of Senegalese Minister of Foreign Affairs, Aisha Tal
Sal, through which she demanded the development of permanent and
binding mechanisms for funding peacekeeping operations in Africa.
This approach will enhance the ability of Africans to resolve their
disputes according to African mechanisms and our regional
organizations.
Excellency attendees.
My country’s geographical location makes it a country with great
influence on the course of events in Africa and the region\ and at the
same time it is part of a network of solutions that can enhance stability
in the African continent.
The attempts to perpetuate the conflict within Libya during the past
years were linked in many of its stages to external factors. At the same
time, Libya lacked Africa’s role at the level of the African Union or the
regional institutions supporting and sponsoring Libya’s stability.
Undoubtedly, African efforts for Libya through the African High-level
Committee of the African Union, chaired by Congolese President Denis
Sassou Nguesso, haven’t stopped for Libya, However, we think that
Africa can make more efforts and coordinate positions to support Libya
for holding the Libyan elections as well as Reducing foreign
interference, such as armed opposition factions and mercenaries from
Libya’s African neighbors, which represent a negative factor that
contributes to undermining stability in my country.
The issue of Libya’s stability is a vital for peace and security in Africa.
Since the National Unity Government headed by Mr. Abd al-Hamid Al
Dbeibeh, threats of terrorist groups in Libya have seized as a result of
government`s efforts for putting an end to political division in country.
Today what is required from international powers as well as from Africa
is efforts similar to the consensus that occurred at Berlin Conference 2
which insisted on preventing the return of war, preserving the cease-
fire and holding a fair election.
Tampering with Libya’s security and foreign interference to undermine
its stability, it represents a great challenge that Africans must unite in
facing. The stability, peace and development of Libya is an African
interest as well as an international interest. Let us work together for
the stability of Libya and the cessation of foreign interference in it, Let
us work unitedly to achieve the continent of Africa a historical
consensus to face the current challenges.
Thank you for listening, and I hope that peace prevails in our countries
and all countries of the world.
