Africa should eliminate terrorism, conflict: President
THE African Union (AU) should deploy all efforts towards eliminating terrorism and violent extremism on the continent for sustainable peace, security and development, President Mnangagwa has said.
This comes as there are some hotspots of conflict in Africa that pose a threat to the continental aspirations contained in the Agenda 2063 strategic framework.
The Agenda is a concrete manifestation of the pan-African drive for unity, self-determination, freedom, progress and collective prosperity pursued under Pan-Africanism and African Renaissance.
It is in that prism that African states must strive for peace and security, eliminating manifest threats that are finding expression in some regions, especially in the northern parts of the continent.
“We don’t have serious issues that would require movement of forces, but we have hotspots, especially in the North which we are taking care of but we don’t have any serious issues and if there were, the AU would come together to take care of the situation,” President Mnangagwa told journalists on the sidelines of the 37th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union.
In a speech read on his behalf by Foreign Affairs and International Trade Minister Ambassador Fredrick Shava on Saturday, the President told the AU Assembly that whenever there is a security threat, African countries must act swiftly to restore order.
“Zimbabwe shares the concerns on the deteriorating state of affairs of peace and security on the continent. The alarming rise of terrorism and violent extremism in some parts of Africa demands our immediate attention. The protracted conflict in Sudan, which is causing suffering and the displacement of millions of people requires the AU to deploy all efforts to achieve an unconditional ceasefire and the return to dialogue.
“The suspension of two of our member states in 2023 for unconstitutional changes of government, joining four others, highlights an unwarranted and unwanted trend whose root cause must be comprehensively addressed. We support the operationalisation of the African Union Peace Fund and timely deployment of the African standby force towards fostering sustainable peace and security across our continent”.
On its part, Zimbabwe has been playing a major role in warding off the threat of terrorism in Mozambique but the term of the SADC Mission in that country is now coming to an end.
After meeting Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi here, President Mnangagwa said there is a need to come up with a new mission since the situation in
Cabo Delgado has not fully calmed.
“I was meeting my brother from Mozambique President Nyusi, he was briefing me on the situation in Cabo Delgado where there is an insurgency. He was telling me the SADC forces in Cabo Delgado are now withdrawing and he said the situation has not really calmed but that term is coming to an end so we are discussing how we can deal with the situation,” said the President.
President Mnangagwa said the spirit of Pan-Africanism remains the bedrock of modern African states that are now harnessing education to leapfrog their development, with Zimbabwe ahead of its regional peers as it adopted a science and innovation-based education some years back.
The AU Summit, that ended last night, was held under the theme, “Educate an African fit for the 21st Century: Building resilient education systems for increased access to inclusive, lifelong, quality, and relevant learning in Africa”.
The theme of the summit resonates with Zimbabwe’s thrust through the Education 5.0 model which is a holistic shift from traditional educational models to a dynamic, experiential, and collaborative learning framework that prepares students for real-world challenges and opportunities.
Remembering the founding fathers of the African Union, formerly the Organisation of Africa Unity (OAU), President Mnangagwa was among Heads of State and Government who yesterday witnessed the unveiling of the statue of Africa unity proponent, the late Tanzanian President Mwalimu Julius Nyerere, at the headquarters of the AU.
The Summit saw Mauritanian President Mohamed Oud Ghazani assuming the chairmanship of the AU, taking over from the President of the Comoros, Mr Azali Assoumani.
Meanwhile, President Mnangagwa returned home yesterday afternoon.
He was welcomed at the Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport by Vice Presidents Dr Constantino Chiwenga and Kembo Mohadi, Defence Minister Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri, service chiefs and other senior Government officials.