João Lourenço was speaking at the Summit on Terrorism and Unconstitutional Changes of Government in Africa, which took place in Malabo, capital of Equatorial Guinea, where more than a dozen heads of State or Government participated - including Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau and São Tomé and Príncipe - who discussed the causes of the increase in coups on the continent in 2021 and 2022 and the implications for governance.
João Lourenço expressed concern about the growth of terrorism in Africa, calling for "a joint and concerted effort" by African countries to face this serious security situation.
He asked for "a clear and objective consensus" regarding the behaviors and acts that fit the definition of terrorism and coup d'état, in order to avoid "ambiguities and hesitations when acting, which in many cases affect the necessary cohesion and firmness, to combat and neutralize these scourges".
It is also necessary to take care of border control more efficiently, to avoid the movement and movement of extremist groups and to reflect on the internal reasons "which, in many cases, lead to the unleashing of terrorism, instability, insecurity and disorientation of the populations that become vulnerable and easily accept messages and ideas that are, at bottom, contrary to their own interests", stressed the head of state.
João Lourenço also condemned the unconstitutional changes of government in Africa, commonly known as coups d'état, "which have been occurring with unacceptable frequency in the face of some passivity, indifference and inaction of regional and continental bodies".
"We are facing a succession of acts that constitute a significant setback in relation to the political, economic, social and stability and security gains that our continent has obtained in the last two decades", he lamented, asking for "firmness and no type of vacillation", in condemning and taking measures that discourage and make unfeasible the functioning of Governments created using military force.
"It is important that we pay very particular attention to this issue of unconstitutional changes by governments in Africa, so that in the face of indifference, silence and passivity, these events do not acquire a character of normality that can infect, stimulate and generalize this practice in the our continent", he urged.
In this context, "it is important that the competent regional organizations and the African Union meet in an emergency and take extraordinary measures that force the immediate return of the constitutional order in the country in question", when situations of this nature occur.
In his speech, he also pointed out the continent's major problems - hunger, misery, poverty, endemic diseases, unemployment, lack of infrastructure, poor electrification and industrialization, among others - stressing that it is necessary to guarantee the peace and security to find lasting solutions to overcome these difficulties.
João Lourenço also defended a common defense strategy in terms of security, without prejudice to international cooperation in the face of the example that comes from the current conflict in Europe today and which also confirmed "the profound inequalities in the treatment of countries and peoples in the face of wars , pandemics and natural calamities".
"It has made more visible the discriminatory way in which refugees and displaced persons are treated in the various armed conflicts on the planet", he lamented.
The President concluded that "this unfair and shameful situation raises once again the need for the reformulation of the United Nations Security Council", so that it is not limited only to the great powers that won the Second World War, and contemplates the entry of countries representing Africa, Latin America and the Hindu peninsula.
Africa was the scene in 2021 and 2022 of five coups d'état - two in Mali and one in Guinea-Conakry, Sudan and Burkina Faso -, and a failed coup attempt in Guinea-Bissau.
During the summit, the AU Peace and Security Council will present policy proposals based on its May 19 deliberation on the causes that contributed to the frequency of coups on the continent.
This AU body will also propose mandatory civilian oversight of the Armed Forces and the need to describe the circumstances in which armies are deployed to manage internal security challenges.
