Africa-Press – Angola. Angolan President and African Union (AU), chairperson, João Lourenço, stated on Wednesday in Yokohama, Japan, that the TICAD9 decisions will only have a real impact on African economies if the continent achieves a lasting stability and peace.
In his speech at the opening of the 9th Tokyo International Conference on Africa’s Development (TICAD9), the Angolan statesman stated that several conflicts persist in Africa, some already in the process of being resolved, others still under negotiation, and also situations where no peaceful solution is in sight in the short term.
“Our determination to silence the guns in Africa is firm and unquestionable,” he declared, announcing the holding of a special meeting of the AU Peace and Security Council next September, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. The meeting, at the level of Heads of State and Government, will aim to analyze the causes of the conflicts and envision appropriate solutions.
The Angolan president signaled encouraging progress in the peace process in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the Great Lakes region, but drew attention to the situation in Sudan, where mediation efforts have not yet yielded results. “The channels of dialogue are open. What is missing is a genuine willingness on both sides to negotiate peace,” he emphasized. Crises outside the continent: Referring to scenarios outside the continent, President João Lourenço condemned the worsening humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, classifying it as “genocide against the Palestinian people,” and reiterated that the war in Ukraine must be resolved through negotiation. In this regard, he encouraged all initiatives that bring the parties to the negotiating table, including the recent meeting between Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin in Alaska, which, he said, “opens a window of opportunity for dialogue to prevail.”
The Angolan head of state also criticized the actions of some major powers, permanent members of the UN Security Council, which, in his view, “have set a bad example by failing to respect international law.” He therefore advocated the urgent need for Security Council reform as a way to ensure new approaches to conflict prevention and resolution on a global scale. “On behalf of the African Union, I express positive expectations regarding the conclusions of this conference, which were very well prepared by our Japanese friends and partners, on whom we count to continue paving the way for development,” concluded João Lourenço.
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