Former African Heads of State mount pressure on Donald Trump to eradicate racial discrimination against African Americans

By Amos Fofung

Members of the Forum for Former African Heads of State and Government known commonly as Africa Forum have in a declaration expressed anguish and frustration over police killing of black man, George Floyd on May 25, 2020 by Minneapolis police officer.

The grouping of former African leaders that was established in 2006 in Maputo, Mozambique, under the patronage of revered political activist and Nobel Prize laurate, Nelson Mandela, wrote that they were deeply concerned, indignant and devastated by the high levels of crime and violence that has targeted the black community in United States of America.

“The members of the Africa Forum would like to encourage the President of the United States of America to urgently take the appropriate measures to put an end to this violence and these murders which, alas, exceed the crimes committed against minorities during the World War II” a section of their declaration, a copy of which was sent to our Washington DC Metro headquarters reads.

In the declaration penned on  June 1, 2020 in Cotonou, economic hub of Benin, the Africa Forum said it stands in solidarity and supports the strong position against lethal violence on black communities and the eradication of white supremacy adding their voice to the fact that "Black Lives do Matter".

Describing the actions taken on African Americans by white supremacists as nothing short of “barbaric”, the former Heads of States questioned what level of cruelty must be reached before the whole world finally wakes up and expresses its indignation?

Demanding that perpetrators of these crime and all other crimes of this nature are punished with the utmost rigor, the Forum for Former African Heads of State and Government issued a clarion call on all Governments on the African continent to rise in strong protest against the ignoble killing of George Floyd and racial discrimination that has targeted its denizens in the diaspora for decades.

Singed by Nicéphore D. SOGLO, former President of the Republic of Benin including some 37 other former leaders, the dignitaries of the continent reaffirm their commitment to eradicating racial discrimination, and supports the measures that leaders and elected black representatives should consider useful to take to put an end to these repeated provocations and barbarism on African Americans.

Signatories to the declaration include :

HE Nicephore Dieudonne Soglo, Former President of the Republic of Benin and Vice Chairperson of the Africa Forum

2. HE Festus Gontebanye Mogae, Former President of the Republic of Botswana

3. HE Ian Khama, Former President of the Republic of Botswana

4. HE Pierre Buyoya, Former President of the Republic of Burundi

5. HE Pedro de Verona Rodrigues Pires, Former President Republic of Cape Verde

 6. HE Hailemariam Desalegn Boshe, Former Prime Minister of Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia

7. HE Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara, Former President of the Republic of The Gambia

8. HE Flt Lt Jerry John Rawlings, Former President of the Republic of Ghana

9. HE John Kofi Agyekum Kufuor, Former President of the Republic of Ghana

10. HE John Dramani Mahama, Former President of the Republic of Ghana

11. HE Emilio Mwai Kibaki, Former President of the Republic of Kenya

12. HE Prof Amos Claudius Sawyer, Former President of the Republic of Liberia

13. HE Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Former President of the Republic of Liberia

14. HE Dr Bakili Muluzi, Former President of the Republic of Malawi

15. HE Alpha Oumar Konaré, Former President of the Republic of Mali

16. HE Cassam Uteem, Former President of the Republic of Mauritius

17. HE Karl Auguste Offmann, Former President of the Republic of Mauritius

18. HE Joaquim Alberto Chissano, Former President or the Republic of Mozambique and Chairperson of the Africa Forum

19. HE Armando Guebuza, Former President or the Republic of Mozambique

20. HE Samuel Daniel Shafiishuna Nujoma, Former President of the Republic of Namibia

21. HE Hifikepunye Pohamba, Former President of the Republic of Namibia

22. HE Dr Abdul Salam Abubakar, Former President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria

 23. HE Maththew Olusegum Obasanjo, Former President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria

24. HE Gen Dr Yakubu Jack Dan-Yumma Gowon, Former President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria

 25. HE Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan, Former President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria

26. HE Miguel Dos Anjos Trovoada, Former President of the Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe

27. HE Fradique Bandeira Melo de Menezes, Former President of the Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe

28. HE Thabo Mbeki, Former President of the Republic of South Africa

29. HE Kgalema Petrus Motlanthe, Former President of the Republic of South Africa

30. HE Benjamin William Mkapa, Former President of the Republic of Tanzania

 31. HE Ali Hassan Mwinyi, Former President of the Republic of Tanzania

32. HE Jakaya Kikwete, Former President of the United Republic of Tanzania

 33. HE Dr Kenneth David Kaunda, Former President of the Republic of Zambia

34. HE Rupiah Bwezani Banda, Former President of the Republic of Zambia

35. HE Chief Eleazar Chukwu Emeka Anyaoku, Former Secretary General of the Commonwealth of Nations

36. HE Donald Kaberuka, Former President of the African Development Bank (AfDB)

 37. HE Dr Salim Ahmed Salim, Former Prime Minister of the United Republic of Tanzania and Former Secretary General of the Organization of African Unity (OAU)

38. HE Abdoulie Janneh, Former United Nations Under-Secretary General and Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA)