João Lourenço's message, disclosed in a press release, was broadcast this Monday at a session of the Peace and Security Council of the African Union, held in Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) and marks the launch of the "Day of Peace and Reconciliation in Africa ", which will be celebrated every year on the 31st of January.
To mark the new date on the African political calendar, the President made it clear that "it is only possible to achieve peace and reconciliation in Africa with actions aimed at creating a spirit of trust and unity in diversity for the prevention, management and resolution of conflicts ".
And he pointed out the "serious problems" facing Africa: "Unfortunately, armed conflicts exacerbate the scourge of hunger, misery and disease, cause forced migration of populations, drive away foreign private investment, increase unemployment, as well as other evils that affect the daily lives of thousands of citizens".
The head of state exhorted Africans to "disarm" their minds and "work hand in hand" and with a "spirit of brotherhood" to put an end to the conflicts that persist in West Africa, Central Africa, the Great Lakes Region, in Africa East and the Horn of Africa.
"Let us definitely leave behind the troubled past of misunderstanding, disharmony and discord that conditioned and compromised the execution of development strategies that would help boost our economic growth and place us at an acceptable level of competitiveness with other regions of the world" , reinforced João Lourenço.
The official assumed the ambition to see the African continent "economically strong and socially stable", a dream that can be achieved as long as there is joint work to achieve definitive peace throughout the continent.
To that end, he calls for "zero tolerance for terrorism, coups d'état and inter-ethnic, inter-religious and wars between neighboring countries".
"For Africa to be a continent of peace, reconciliation and economic development, it depends above all on us, on African politicians, governments and citizens", he added.
