Rights group urges new AU chairperson Ramaphosa to hinge ‘Silencing the Guns’ goal on justice, accountability
Johannesburg, South Africa (PANA) – As South Africa President Cyril Ramaphosa begins his term of office as the chairperson of the African Union (AU), a human rights watchdog is asking him to use his leadership to promote human rights and justice for violations across the continent.
President Ramaphosa was elected chairperson of the AU for 2020 on 9 February at the opening of the 33rd Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government in Addis Ababa. He succeeds President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi of Egypt.
Human Rights Watch said on Monday that as chairperson of the AU Assembly, the Union’s highest policy and decision-making body, Ramaphosa has the authority to influence decisions, in accordance with the African Charter, to improve respect for and protection of human rights in the region.
It noted that President Ramaphosa has said that his team would work with political parties on the ground to achieve the African Union’s theme for this year “Silencing the Guns.” It has been described as an initiative to prevent violent conflict and promote human rights in Africa.
“Ramaphosa’s leadership of the AU will be more meaningful if he uses the opportunity to focus the African foreign policy agenda on promoting human rights,” said Carine Kaneza Nantulya, Africa advocacy director at Human Rights Watch. “Many of the continent’s conflicts have been triggered by widespread atrocities, coupled with impunity for the violators.”
The statement said President Ramaphosa assumes this office at a critical time for human rights and security in Africa.
"Armed extremist groups have expanded their strongholds in the Sahel and the Lake Chad Basin, which threaten to spill over into neighbouring countries previously untouched by violent extremism. The AU will have to step up its efforts to protect civilians from abuses by all sides to the violence," it said.
"In Burundi, Guinea, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda and elsewhere, government agents violently crack down on civic protests and carry out reprisals against civil society critics and human rights defenders. These tactics have had damaging effects on freedom of expression and assembly."
In a November last year, during a visit to South Africa, the AU Commission chairperson, Moussa Faki Mahamat, said he hoped that President Ramaphosa’s leadership will “take us a step further in the implementation of our programmes.” He said that: “It’s also true that we can’t silence the guns without good governance, without justice, and without equality.”
“‘Silencing the guns,’ also known as Vision 2020, is an important statement on the AU’s commitment to ending conflicts on the African continent,” Nantulya said. “However, without paying due attention to the abuses and injustices that drive conflicts and violence, the AU’s vision may remain an unactualized dream for years to come.”
-0- PANA MA 11Feb2020
