By Kefiloe Kajane
The Prime Minister Moeketsi Majoro says without sustainable peace in Africa, Africans cannot achieve any of their objectives outlined in Agenda 2063. He said this at the meeting of the African Union Peace and Security Council (PSC) held virtually in Addis Ababa yesterday.
Majoro said in December 2020, the Extraordinary Summit on Silencing the Guns in Africa, reflected on the state of peace and security on the continent. He said it was obvious then that rather than the guns, being silent they were blazing. He also said it was not just the blazing of guns in individual countries, but they were beginning to be seen interstate conflicts which they thought had been minimized.
“Ahead of our meeting on Silencing the Guns in December, we had approved an ambitious continental free trade programme which we all believe will revolutionize our trade and development trajectory. We however are fully conscious of the fact that trade and development are dependent on peace in our continent. This is why then and now we are bound to re-assess the state of war and peace in Africa. Our people desire development not wars.
“In my statement in the Extraordinary Summit on silencing the guns in December last year (2020) I reiterated my long-standing belief that the founding principles of the OAU later adopted by the AU must guide us in our assessments of the current developments in Africa. Two of those founding principles are the inviolability of received colonial borders and the right of people to self-determination. Breech of any of those founding principles, will inevitably lead to conflict and wars,” Majoro said.
