African leaders have told the United Nations (UN) that
the continent will fight for its own identity, integrity and personality.They called on the United Nations to reform the Security
Council by making African nations its permanent members.
The outgoing chairman of the AU, Zimbabwean President
Robert Mugabe, made the call Saturday in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, at the commencement
of the 26th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government
of the African Union, with the theme “2016: African Year of Human Rights, with
Particular Focus on the Rights of Women”.
Mugabe, who spoke before he handed over to Chadian
President Idriss Deby, told the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki Moon, that African
nations are independent and are supposed to be free.
He said a time will come when African countries will
decide that they can no longer continue to be “artificial members” of the
United Nations.
He maintained that if the United Nations must survive,
African countries must be equal members of the global organization, stressing
that “there should be real uniformity in the UN Security Council”.
Mugabe, whose speech ignited a round of thunderous
applause from his colleagues, asked Mr Ban to tell the United Nations that
Africans are not ghosts, but humans who also belong to the world.
In a veiled reference to Mr Ban’s call on African leaders
to respect constitutional term limits, Mugabe, who has been ruling Zimbabwe
since 1980, said the only thing “the imperialists” were persistently preaching
to Africa was regime change.
Mugabe decried that the imperialists are still everywhere
in Africa “if not physically, but through spies and pretenders who come to us
and say they are our friends. What else is coming from them? Regime change!”
He said: “Mr Ban Ki Moon, we are independent nations and
we are supposed to be free. We go to the UN General Assembly every September.
We pay a lot of money to the UN year in year out, but the body in the Security
Council says we shall never have the power they have. Reform the Security
Council! I want to tell you, Mr Ban Ki Moon, that you are a good man, but of
course, we can make you a fighter. We shall fight a fight for our own identity,
integrity and personality as Africans. If we decide, as we shall certainly do
one day, that we cannot continue to be artificial members of the United
Nation.”
“If the UN must survive, we must be equal members of it…We
have said that we have to be permanent members (of the UN Security Council)
with a veto power, if the veto must be retained. Mr Ban Ki Moon, tell them (the
UN) that we are also humans and not ghosts. We also belong to the world. Africa
shall no longer tolerate slavery by any means; by denial of rights…I hope you
will hear from us on the issue of the United Nations reform. You’re a good man,
you’ve visited our countries where diseases have visited and where calamities
and terrorism have taken place. We say thank you. That distinguishes you from
others. We know where you come from,” Mugabe said.
He thanked other African leaders for supporting him
throughout his reign as chairman of the African Union.
dailytrust.com
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