By Abuja, Nigeria
Nigeria has called on the African Union (AU) to prioritize visiting countries in the continent affected by humanitarian situations such as those living in Internally Displaced Persons Camp (IDPs). This position was re-echoed at he opening ceremony of the 48th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council of the African Union today in Addis Ababa, marking the formal commencement of the high-level ministerial deliberations ahead of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government.
Nigeria was represented by H.E. Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar (OON), Honourable Minister of Foreign Affairs and H.E. Wale Edun, Honourable Minister of Finance.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Tuggar said, “On the humanitarian situation on the continent, particularly the situation of IDPs, refugees and other Africans in special situations, we recommend the subcommittee and encourage it to also prioritize visiting countries in the Sahel and Lake Chad regions where similar situations also exist.”
The Ministers convened to advance discussions on continental priorities and the implementation of Agenda 2063, setting the policy framework to guide decisions at the Assembly level.
According to a statement issued by the Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Ebienfa, Nigeria hinted that the agreement for African countries to serve as hubs for rejected migrants will pose great risk to the continent.
“On migration and returns, Nigeria wishes to point out that third country agreements with EU and EU member countries for some African countries to serve as hubs for rejected migrants comes with a very high risk of sowing the seeds of unrest. So-called offshoring of migrant processing and deportation poses a threat to the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights,” he said.
