Macky Sall, chairperson of the African Union and President of Senegal has demanded that the African Union be given a permanent seat at the G20 council of the UN General Assembly.
This, the AU chairperson argued will ensure the continent is well represented in decisions that affect its inhabitants.
Speaking at the first in-person general assembly of the UN since 2020, Macky Sall insisted it is fair that a continent with over 1,400,000,000 population is given a better representation on the global stage.
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“I would like to remind you of our request for the African Union to be granted a seat within the G20, so that Africa can, at last, be represented where decisions are taken that affect 1,400,000,000 Africans.”
Macky Sall used the occasion to echo the recent threats of terrorism that is rearing its ugly head on the continent.
He revealed that the unlawful use of violence and intimidation in pursuit of political and economic aims is gaining grounds in Africa.
The AU Chair noted that the emerging presence of terrorism in Africa must not be seen as a subject matter of the African continent alone but rather a global concern.
“Terrorism gaining grounds on the continent is not just an African matter. It is a global threat that falls under the primary purview of the (UN) Security Council, the guarantor of the collective security mechanism, under the UN Charter”, Macky Sall pointed.
The AU chairperson said that Africa should not be the breeding ground of a new Cold War.
The Senegalese President made reference to the pressure mounting on leaders on the continent to choose sides over the ongoing Russia- Ukraine war.
Sall noted many African countries depend on both Russia and Ukraine for grain and other imports.
He stressed that leaders on the continent must not be forced into alliance with any of the feuding sides.
President and AU chairperson also used the platform to appeal the international community to lift sanctions that have been imposed on Zimbabwe.
