When a high ranking authority castigates state ferocity against innocent citizens in a face-off between African countries and the United States, Africa is usually a victim. This week the table turns as the African Union(AU) issued a rock-solid statement criticizing the murder of George Floyd, the African American executed by Minneapolis police.
The AU Commission Chairperson has made a statement, “the continued discriminatory practices against black people should stop” and a request for the US ensure the total abolishment of all kinds of discrimination based on race or ethnic origin.”
The message from the AU Commission gained more importance after it was resonated by statements from US ambassadors in Congo, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania all condemning the killing.
While the incriminations made by these embassies are imposing and somewhat different from the core of President Trump’s public statements, it’s a necessary measure if they are held on to legitimacy while appealing to local authorities on human rights issues.
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Data source: AU Commission report