By Amos Fofung
In a rare united effort toward achieving a common objective, all 54 African countries have united, speaking in one voice as they request a formal United Nations led prob into police brutality and acts of racism against Africans in America and the world over.
In a penned letter, the 54 countries that make up the African continent requested the UN Human Rights Council to urgently debate racism and police violence as protests over George Floyd’s death grows around the world for the third week now.
Burkina Faso’s ambassador to the UN in Geneva wrote the letter on behalf of the 54 African countries, asking the UN’s top human rights body for an “urgent debate” on “racially inspired human rights violations, police brutality against people of African descent and the violence against the peaceful protests that call for these injustices to stop.”
The letter requests for the debate to be held next week when the council’s 43rd session resumes, after being stalled by the COVID-19 pandemic.
For such a request to be considered by the council, or for any pertinent issue to be discussed at the gathering, it needs to be backed by at least one state.
With the call now coming from a large group of countries, “that increases the chances” it will take place, a council spokesperson told AFP. This will be the first time such an elaborate report on rights violation against Africans will be recorded in recent times.
Mbom Sixtus, internationally acclaimed journalist who has covered human rights violation across several borders for over a decade now advocates that when conducted, the full reports of the rights abuses and racial injustice be made public and those responsible be sanctioned accordingly.
DW Africa reports that UN Council President Elisabeth Tichy-Fisslberger is expected to announce a proposed day for the debate on Monday and unless there are any objections, the debate is likely to go ahead.
