Africa responds to US turmoil

The twin crises that have plunged the US into unprecedented turmoil have cast a long shadow over much of the planet and there is keen interest in how Africa will be affected if the dust settles. Legalbrief reports that while tens of millions of people across the continent have adhered to strict Covid-19 measures – particularly the wearing of face masks, distance control measures and strict lockdowns – the sight of hundreds of thousands of US nationals marching across their virus-ravaged nation following the death of African-American George Floyd two weeks ago threatens to reshape human rights in Africa and the rest of the world.

Government statements from around the African continent could portend a shift in global relations and hopefully, analysts say, make a bigger point: whether you live in Minneapolis or Monrovia, Floyd’s death affects us all. Voice of America reports that Carine Nantulya, Human Rights Watch’s Africa advocacy director, described the fallout over Floyd’s death as ‘the eternal struggle of any member of a minority community’. ‘It's going to touch anyone who has had previous experiences of abuse and oppression, be it because of one's race or religious background, or sexual identity. I guess the struggle, and I think a challenge for every for every institution like the African Union is to find the tools to forge ahead, to move ahead and to address some of some of the deeply seated social economic issues that are the trigger factors for this,’ she said. Andrews Atta-Asamoah, an Addis Ababa-based researcher for the Institute for Security Studies, said ‘this is a broader issue, and it fits into a broader systemic crisis which the AU can engage the US on, in terms of what needs to be done. Between the AU and also the diaspora community, I think this is an opportunity for the AU now to begin to emphasise exactly what the African-American community go through on a day-to-day basis'.

Full Voice of America report

SA's ruling African National Congress party also weighed in on the mounting crisis, saying the deaths of Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor show that ‘American society places a perilously low value on black lives’. Legalbrief reports that ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa has launched an anti-racism campaign, dubbed ‘Black Friday’, in solidarity with millions around the world who are marching under the banner of ‘Black Lives Matter’. He urged everyone who identified with the cause to wear black every Friday, saying that the Floyd tragedy 'has opened deep wounds for the rest of the world'. He added that South Africans stand in solidarity with ‘our African-American brothers and sisters, and express our wish that the American people can reconcile, as we did, and close once and for all the doors of racial injustice’. International Relations Minister Naledi Pandor has called on US leaders to ‘work together to end violence and develop a set of measures that would serve to end the insecurity and harm experienced by many members of the African-American community’. ‘Just as the people of America supported SA in its legitimate struggle against apartheid, SA too supports the clarion calls for practical action to address the inadequacies highlighted by protesters, civil society and human rights organisations,’ ­Pandor said. A report on the IoL site notes that in Namibia, International Relations Minister Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has expressed deep outrage over the Floyd matter. ‘Racism is a crime against humanity and should have no place in any society anywhere in the world. We call on the government of the US to deploy all efforts at ensuring that the rights and human dignity of all its citizens, including in particular African-Americans and all other minorities, are upheld, respected and protected under law.’

Full IoL report

Former African Presidents have also joined the chorus of condemnation. The Forum of Former Heads of State and Government has urged African countries to ‘raise a strong protest’ to the incident and demand that ‘the perpetrators of this crime and all other crimes of this sort be punished in the strongest terms’. BBC News reports that the statement was released by Benin’s former President Nicéphore Soglo. ‘What level of cruelty must you reach that the entire world finally wakes up and manifests its indignation. Enough is enough, he said. Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo separately said ‘we hope that the unfortunate, tragic death of George Floyd will inspire a lasting change in how America confronts head on the problems of hate and racism’. Legalbrief reports that the forum which was established in 2011, includes former Nigerian, Ghanaian and Tanzanian Presidents Goodluck Jonathan, John Mahama and Jakaya Kikwete.

Full BBC News report

HRW has documented how coronavirus lockdowns across much of the continent have spurred security forces to cross lines. In Nigeria, online campaigns, civic society groups and celebrities are protesting the recent killing of 16-year-old Tina Ezekwe by police. Quartz Africa reports that at least six Kenyans have been killed by police trying to enforce lockdown curfews while South African police officers have had serious allegations, including murder and rape, levelled against them during lockdown restrictions. And a report on the News24 site notes that Senegalese police have arrested more than 70 people after violent protests broke out in several cities with demonstrators demanding a night-time coronavirus curfew be lifted.

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Full Quartz Africa report

Full Fin24 report