UN chief urges African nations unit to solve crisis

Feb 02, 2016 General Secretary of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon recently called on African nations to act together in solving the ongoing political crisis in South Sudan and Burundi.

The UN boss made the statement at a press conference in Addis Ababa during the 26th African Union Summit.

Speaking at the conference, Ban said:

“I urge all parties to put the people of Syria at the heart of the discussions and above partisan interest. Civilians including children and women have been bearing the brunt of this conflict. We must urgently see an end to the fighting, the siege, and the other terrible human rights abuses that have characterized this war,”

While addressing the issues of peace and security in Africa, Ban ki Moon urged the warring factions in South Sudan to overcome their differences.

He also expressed his hope that the AU will work together in stabilizing the situation in Burundi.

“I’ve been urging African leaders to speak and act in one voice. This is a matter of human dignity and human rights. The longer this situation continues, the more people will be killed and affected. We have almost one million people who have been affected, refugees and displaced people. We cannot wait any longer,”

On the other hand, Ban ki Moon congratulated the democratic elections that were held in Africa in 2015.

“I salute the countries on this continent that held the peaceful and democratic elections in the past year, including Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, the Central African Republic, Nigeria, Tanzania and others. I hope this positive trend will continue,”