UNGA : African countries condemn Security Council’s double standards

Tags : Africa, Congo, Namibia, Félix-Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo, Hage G. Geingob, Western Sahara,

On Wednesday last, the Sahara issue was raised in their speeches by the presidents of the Republic of Congo and Namibia.

FÉLIX-ANTOINE TSHISEKEDI TSHILOMBO, President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, emphasized that the African people often do not understand the equivocal attitude, the double standards, ambiguities and procrastinations of the UN and particularly the Security Council in certain serious political and security crises which have been plaguing Africa — sometimes for decades. This is the case of the forgotten Western Sahara crisis which has driven apart Algeria and Morocco, and that of Mozambique, the victim of deadly terrorist attacks for a decade. He further cited the Sahel-Saharan region, where UN troops are withdrawing, leaving behind the memory of unfinished business, even though they embodied all the hopes of liberation of the people of those countries, caught in the clutches of jihadism. Sudan has been bogged down in a deadly civil war pitting soldiers loyal to the President against the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. The international community, he deplored, is almost indifferent to the Sudanese tragedy. On his own country, his Government called for moving up the withdrawal deadline of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO) from December 2024 to December 2023, as it is time for Kinshasa to take full control of its destiny.

HAGE G. GEINGOB, President of Namibia, called the embargo against Cuba unjust and urged it be lifted. The United States must remove Cuba from the list of State sponsors of terrorism. Selective punitive measures against Zimbabwe and Venezuela must also be lifted, as these measures constitute the greatest obstacle to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The Charter of the United Nations reflects the commonly agreed upon values of diplomacy and peaceful coexistence. While Namibia’s right to self-determination has been upheld, the people of Western Sahara continue to remain under occupation, he said. Recalling how Morocco supported Namibia’s right to self-determination, he urged Rabat “to do the same” for the people of Western Sahara. Similarly, the people of Palestine yearn to transition from the inhumane conditions of oppressive rule, he also added.

MSWATI III, Head of State of Eswatini, said that it is increasingly evident that sustainable development “is not just a noble aspiration” in a world faced with complex challenges; rather, it “is an imperative for the survival and well-being of our planet and its inhabitants”. Just as the founders of the United Nations once came together to “address the challenges of their time for the benefit of all, it is now our responsibility to stand together and confront those we face today”, he urged. Expressing concern over global conflicts and unconstitutional changes of Government in several African States, he also spotlighted natural disasters that have claimed thousands of lives in Libya, Morocco and elsewhere. Additionally, he encouraged efforts underway to find a political solution to the matter regarding the Western Sahara within the parameters of Security Council resolution 2654 (2022).

Source : UN

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