African activists call for more human rights advocacy.
September 16, 2024
Photo: Defence for Children International
DELEGATES at the All-African Movement Assembly in Accra have called for Pan-African solidarity, free movement across the continent and “more robust human rights advocacy”.
At their recent annual gathering, the largest meeting of African movements, activists and human rights defenders, delegates launched the Pan-African Solidarity Network to strengthen support for human rights defenders.
They want the Network to deal with “the multiple issues that activists encounter, which may be addressed more efficiently through a collaborative platform”.
They stressed “the urgency of collective dialogue and unified action to protect human rights and ensure the rule of law”.
The activists expressed concern over what they see as a shrinking civil society space on the continent “with increasing reports of crackdowns on dissent, harassment, abductions and the killings of activists”.
Hardi Yakubu, Movement Coordinator of Africans Rising, called on the continent’s leaders to demonstrate the political will to champion the cause of a borderless Africa whereby citizens can travel freely between countries without the need for visas.
“We must move beyond rhetoric and take concrete steps towards making this vision a reality,” he said.
Delegates agreed that this would not only enhance the movement of people and goods “but also strengthen intra-African trade, foster economic prosperity and build fraternity among Africans”.
Samia Nkrumah, President of the Kwame Nkrumah Pan-African Centre and daughter of Pan-African icon Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, said in her opening address: “We can achieve this with the necessary political will and determination. The time for action is now.”
Emma Nyerere, the daughter of another Pan-Africanist leader, President Julius Nyerere of Tanzania, also stressed the need for solidarity, which she said was crucial in tackling poverty, inequality and neocolonialism.
“The time has come for us to unite and face our challenges together,” she said.
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