"There are no coups d'état that can be considered good, less bad or tolerable, as they all seriously violate the principles defended by the African Union, the Constitution and the Law of the member states, a fact that constitutes a setback for Africa", stated João Lourenço.
The minister, who was speaking on the first of two days of work at the 37th summit of the African Union (AU), presenting his report as "Champion of the African Union for Peace and Reconciliation in Africa", considered that, despite of the "positive steps" that have been taken towards the total pacification of Africa, "several conflicts with different causes still prevail on the continent, which seriously disrupt the lives of populations and affect and weaken the countries in which they take place".
João Lourenço highlighted the events taking place in South Sudan, Libya and Somalia, where initiatives are underway that aim to set in motion "the combination of genuine efforts, mainly from the countries in the regions in which they are taking place, to find the best paths to its resolution".
The African Union, he argued, must continue to work "by all means for the quickest re-establishment of democratic normality" in Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Guinea-Conakry and Gabon, countries that have seen coups d'état by their respective armed forces, which overthrew constitutional governments.
"Many efforts have been made towards the pragmatic resolution of conflicts in Africa, but reality shows that we still have to work hard to achieve the great project that consists of "Silencing the Guns in Africa" by 2030 and the 4th aspiration of the Agenda 2063 which aims to build "A Peaceful and Secure Africa", he warned.
"Africa defeated colonialism, defeated 'apartheid' and will also overcome terrorism and unconstitutional changes", stressed João Lourenço.
In his intervention, João Lourenço reviewed the efforts that Angola made to put an end to conflicts in the Great Lakes region, "where tension persists between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda, the conflict in the Central African Republic, in Sudan and South Sudan".
"I dedicated my efforts to coordinating and collaborating on various sub-regional, regional and continent-wide initiatives, with a view to contributing to the prevention, management and peaceful resolution of prevailing conflicts", he detailed.
In summary, João Lourenço stressed that, if it is not possible to "resolve the issues of peace and security in Africa, it will be very difficult" to "resolve the problems linked to progress and economic and social development" on the continent.
As established by the AU, only heads of state can receive the designation of "African Union Champion for Peace and Reconciliation in Africa", being chosen from among their peers "to lead the process in focal thematic areas that will drive growth and development and will lead to the realization of the Africa Agenda".
It should be noted that João Lourenço convened, last Friday, in Addis Ababa, a small summit to discuss the situation in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRCongo), where conflicts between the army and a rebel movement have intensified. This summit took place late Friday afternoon, on the sidelines of the 37th African Union Summit in the Ethiopian capital.
