In unusual move, US embassies in Africa speak up on Floyd’s killing

JOHANNESBURG: As Minneapolis burns over the police killing of George Floyd and shock and disappointment in Africa grow, some US embassies on the continent have taken the unusual step of issuing critical statements, saying no one is above the law.

The statements came as the head of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, condemned the “murder” of Floyd and said the continental body rejects the “continuing discriminatory practices against black citizens of the US”.

The US ambassador to DR Congo, Mike Hammer, highlighted a tweet from a local media entrepreneur who addressed him saying, “Dear ambassador, your country is shameful. Proud America, which went through everything from segregation to the election of Barack Obama, still hasn’t conquered the demons of racism. How many black people must be killed by white police officers before authorities react seriously?”

The ambassador’s response, in French, was: “I am profoundly troubled by the tragic death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. The justice department is conducting a full criminal investigation... No one is above the law.”

Similar statements were tweeted by the US embassies in Kenya and Uganda, while the embassies in Tanzania and Kenya tweeted a joint statement from the justice department office in Minnesota.

Africa has not seen the kind of protests over Floyd’s killing that have erupted across the US, but many Africans have expressed disgust and dismay.