Ambassador Mahmoud Kane Africa Day Speech, Khartoum, 26 May 2008

Minister X, Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen etc…

 

1. I am delighted to have the honour to join so many friends and distinguished colleagues on this special celebration of Africa Day.
   

    

2. Standing here in 2008, it is extraordinary to remember that our noble story together began in Addis Ababa almost half a century ago – in 1963 – when the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) was born.
   

    

3. Some of you may even remember Emperor Haile Selassie’s famous words at that event. “May this convention last 1,000 years,” he said.
   

    

   Ladies and Gentlemen
   

4. When you think how far we have already traveled on the road to African unity, when you see how far the African Union has come in that time, how strong it is today, I see no reason why the African Union shouldn’t last 1,000 years, perhaps much longer!
   

    

5. So what have we achieved together? Well, first of all, we succeeded in putting an end to colonialism and minority rule in southern Africa. We supported freedom fighters in the liberation struggle and helped Africa turn a dark page in its history and start a brighter chapter.
   

   Excellencies
   

6. Who would have thought back in 1963 that only a few decades later the AU would take its rightful place at the forefront of international peacekeeping operations?
   

    

7. Today we stand proudly shoulder to shoulder with the UN in Darfur in the form of the joint UNAMID force.
   

    

8. Like any effective organization, we have moved with the times, we have adjusted to remain robust and relevant. That is one reason for our success.
   

    

9. We have moved on from the early days when non-interference in internal disputes was a fundamental principle of the OAU. Today all 53 member states embrace the concept of African solutions to African problems.
   

    

10. This is precisely why we are in Darfur. As Africans we are duty bound to help our African brothers and sisters in their struggle for peace and security. This is premised in our African culture that you do not stand by when your neighbor’s house is on fire.
    

     

    Ladies and Gentleman
    

11. The story of Darfur contains too much human tragedy. Only a few days ago we heard the tragic news that 50 Nigerian peacekeepers had been killed in a road accident on their return from deployment in Darfur. Our thoughts are with their families and loved ones at this time. Later this week, I will be representing the AU at a ceremony in Al Fasher to honour the 61 African peacekeepers who sacrificed their lives in Darfur. There has been too much loss of life by far.
    

     

12. And yet amid the immense violence and bloodshed, I see signs of hope. I take some comfort from the knowledge that this is the AU’s first peacekeeping mission. This is a great achievement and one each and every one of us here today should be proud of.
    

     

13. We – the African Union – have been in Darfur since 2004. The AU Mission in Sudan – AMIS – began with just several hundred people. Today, UNAMID has almost 10,000 peacekeepers in Darfur.
    

     

    Excellencies
    

14. Some commentators thought we wouldn’t be up to the job. They doubted our ability to make a difference. I am happy to say we proved them wrong. Take a moment to recall what our personnel achieved on the ground.
    
    1. They monitored the ceasefire agreement
       
    2. Deployed police officers from 18 African countries
       
    3. Secured frontiers to prevent cross-border attacks
       
    4. Protected innocent men, women and children in and around the IDP camps
       
    5. They disseminated the Darfur Peace Agreement to the people of Darfur
       
    6. And worked tirelessly to promote peace, security, human rights and humanitarian assistance in this unstable region.
       

     

    Ladies and Gentlemen
    

15. I wish to remind all that the AU’s story in Sudan doesn’t end nor does it begin in Darfur. Although it doesn’t receive the same sort of coverage Darfur gets, the AU is totally engaged in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) between North and South.
    

     

16. It has been since 2002 and its commitment to helping the Sudanese parties reach a lasting peace remains unwavering. It is for this reason that the AU Peace and Security Council (PSC) authorized the setting up of a Liaison Office in Khartoum with an office in Juba earlier last year. The AU’s commitment is further underscored by the appointment of a Special Envoy for the implementation of the CPA.
    

     

17. The AU is fully convinced that to have lasting peace in the Sudan, there is a critical need to ensure that the CPA implementation process succeeds. In this line, I wish to refer to the Chairperson’s statement made on 23 May expressing his great concern over renewed hostilities between the CPA Parties in the Abyei region.
    

     

18. It is the AU’s hope that, without delay, humanitarian agencies and the UN will be allowed safe and sufficient space to assist the affected people of Abyei. Our position at the AU is that the situation in Abyei can only be resolved through political means. We want to assure our hosts that we remain by their side in the efforts aimed towards resolving this impasse.
    

     

    Excellencies
    

19. Before I end these remarks, I’d like to inform you that each year the AU decides on an Africa Day theme to focus on. This year’s theme is “Meeting the Millennium Development Goals on Water and Sanitation”.
    

     

20. There can be few more important issues to tackle across the continent. That’s quite a claim, I know, but just think about the situation here in Sudan. Competition for scarce water resources – and occasional droughts – are among the root causes of the Darfur conflict. Indeed, I would go so far as to say that unless we are able to address this vital challenge, it will be virtually impossible to find a lasting solution to the crisis.
    

     

21. It is often said that you only find out who your real friends are in adversity. I can assure everyone here today, on behalf of the AU, an institution which more than any other embodies the great concept of African unity we are celebrating today, that Sudan will find no greater friend than the AU in its quest for peace.
    

     

    Thank you.