BY MBONGENI NDLELA
MBABANE – His Excellency the Prime Minister Cleopas Sipho Dlamini gave a briefing about the Humanitarian Summit and Pledging Conference and the 16th Extraordinary Session of Assembly of The African Union on Terrorism and Unconstitutional Change of Governments in Africa. The conference took place in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea from 24 to 28 May 2022.
The Prime Minister announced that there are new declarations to work with as African states. “The main focus of the Humanitarian Summit was the creation of the Humanitarian Fund as well as the operationalisation of the African Union Humanitarian Agency, where the African States united in the humanitarian cause. The main focus of the terrorism and unconstitutional change of governments in Africa was strengthening the African Union frameworks and early warning systems for counter-terrorism and unconstitutional change of governments in Africa. African countries united in condemning terrorism and unconstitutional change of governments and pledged to address the scourge at infancy,” said the Prime Minister.
Prime Minister Dlamini added, “It was noted that acts of terrorism and unconstitutional change of governments affect socio-economic development and sets Africa backwards. These acts are further exacerbated by external funding, the misuse of social media platforms to promote acts of terrorism. The summit adopted the declaration on terrorism and unconstitutional governments in Africa which places a responsibility on all African states to act collectively in countering terrorism and unconstitutional change of government.”
His excellency reported that the summit was preceded by the Specialised Technical Committee on Migration, Refugees, Returnees and Internally Displaced Persons ministers meeting, and the Extraordinary Session of the Executive Council. The issuses which were discussed during the assembly included humanitarian challenges, hopes and aspirations in Africa, declaration on human summit and pledging conference, presentation of the reports of the chairperson of the commission, presentation of the outcome of the meeting of chiefs of intelligence and security services in Africa, and unconstitutional changes.
