From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
Acting President Yemi Osinbajo has urged African leaders to make commitment not to bequeath to the next generation in the continent the burden of wars, poverty and misery.
He noted that the tragic consequences of wars and conflicts on the continent include millions killed and maimed, millions displaced, children out of school, the continent’s set back for decades economically and socially.
He charged the leaders to affirm their readiness to a comprehensive approach in addressing the root causes of violence in countries on the continent, adding that the resolve to end wars and conflicts in Africa remains a collective vote for a future of real growth and development for the continent.
Osinbajo, gave the charge at the ongoing African Union summit in Addis Ababa, where he led the discussion on peace and security as the Chairman of the African’s Union (AU) Peace and Security Council.
According to him, the continent must rekindle the political will and determination not to bequeath to the next generation of Africans the burden of wars, poverty and misery. He called on the Assembly to reaffirm the overriding importance of holistically addressing the root causes of violent conflicts in different countries.
Osinbajo told the gathering he was representing President Muhammadu Buhari, who had requested him to express his profound gratitude for the messages of goodwill from African leaders. He noted that the Peace and Security Council has continued to relentlessly discharge its mandate of promoting peace, security and stability on continent and urged that the peace and security agenda must remain on the front burner of deliberations.
Osinbajo said: “We have no choice; peace, security and stability are fundamental to the realisation of sustainable development and to assure our people of decent and happy lives.
“As we move towards silencing the guns by 2020, our collective resolve must remain solid and steadfast to effectively tackle conflicts, terrorism, violent extremism and the proliferation of small arms and light weapons.”
He explained that in pursuance to AU’s 50th anniversary’s solemn declaration, and under Nigeria’s chairmanship of the Peace and Security Council in the month of July, “we will prioritise the adoption of practical measures to address the current security challenges in South Sudan, Somalia, Guinea Bissau, the Sahel-Sahelo and Lake Chad Basin regions. Furthermore, Nigeria will strengthen the engagement with all AU member States in confronting the menace of child soldiering and millions of out-of-school children in armed conflict areas. To this effect, I would like to urge your full support and cooperation.”
To achieve this, he called on member states to first “ensure the full implementation of the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA), especially the operationalization of the African Standby Force (ASF) and the Peace Fund. In particular, the Government of Nigeria reiterates the need for the Peace and Security Council to work towards removing all distractions and impediments to the full attainment of operational capacity of the African Standby Force.
“To ensure the effectiveness of the African Union peace support operations, the Regional Economic Communities and relevant international bodies, especially the United Nations must remain strategic pillars of peace, security and development of the Continent as envisioned in Agenda 2063.
“We must redouble our efforts and, and without equivocation avail the necessary resources, in order to successfully achieve the goals set out in Agenda 2063. We need to rekindle our political will and determination not to bequeath to the next generation of Africans the burden of wars, poverty and misery. It is therefore necessary for the Assembly to reaffirm the overriding importance of holistically addressing the root causes of violent conflicts in our countries.”
He commended the Government of Zambia for ably steering the work of the Council in June, he also extended his appreciation to Member States of AU, the Regional Economic Communities and the Regional Mechanisms for Conflict Prevention, Management and Resolution, as well as the United Nations, among others for all the support rendered to the Peace and Security Council during the reporting period.
“It is only through such collective efforts that the noble goal of silencing the guns in Africa can be achieved. It is essential that the international communities including the UN continue to reinforce their support for Africa peace and security agenda such as the complementarity between Agenda 2063 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
“The tragic consequences of wars and conflicts in Africa are self-evident. The millions killed and maimed, the Millions displaced, children out of school , set us back decades economically and socially. Our resolve to end wars and conflicts in Africa is therefore our vote for a future of real growth and development for our continent.”