While speaking in Kenya, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz offered assistance to African nations vying for a permanent membership on the UN Security Council.
German Chancelor and Kenya president
Scholz expressed his belief in African-led solutions to African problems like the ongoing crisis in Sudan to his host, President William Ruto.
“Germany therefore supports the efforts for permanent African seats on the U.N. Security Council and we also support a formal seat for the African Union within the G-20,” he stated on Friday following their private meeting.
Currently, the council has three non-permanent members from Africa: Gabon, Ghana, and Mozambique.
In the past, several officials, including the secretary general of the United Nations, have backed calls for African governments to receive at least one permanent member in the council.
Scholz praised Ruto’s efforts at mediating the violence in Sudan, which has claimed hundreds of lives.
For the protection of civilians, he argued that the two combatant generals must terminate their conflict.
He declared that the military power struggle between the army and the RSF must end because it was hurting the nation’s citizens.
He emphasised that the African continent must take the lead in resolving these issues.
He said, “I am deeply convinced that initiatives for peace and stability in Africa that are led by African states themselves are particularly important”.
Before travelling to Kenya, Scholz visited Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where he met African Union representatives. He pledged his support for a permanent place for the African Union in the Group of 20 major industrialised and developing nations.
Following Scholz’s remarks in Ethiopia, the director of philanthropy organisation ONE in Germany, Stephan Exo-Kreischer, stated that Africa requires better international representation.
“A seat at the G-20 table is an important step towards a louder African voice on the world stage,” he declared in a statement.
