(NANHRI) DURING THE 73rd ORDINARY SESSION OF THE AFRICAN COMMISSION ON HUMAN AND PEOPLES' RIGHTS
Presented by NANHRI Chairperson Dr. Elasto Hilarious Mugwadi
21 October 2022
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The Chairperson of the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights Honourable Remy Ngoy Lumbu;
Distinguished Representatives of AU Member States;
Honourable Members of the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights;
Representatives of the African National Human Rights Institutions;
Representatives of CSOs, NGOs and other actors;
Distinguished Guests;
Ladies and Gentlemen;
On behalf of the Network of African National Human Rights Institutions, it is with great pleasure that I address this august gathering of the 73rd Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights.
This session is convened under the auspices of the 35th anniversary celebrations of the establishment of the African Commission which is the premier body for the protection and promotion of human and peoples' rights. Since its establishment in 1987, the African Commission has become a respected body regionally and internationally as it has been a voice of the downtrodden and marginalized on the continent. We must congratulate the African Commission for the long journey it has walked in spite of many challenges. It has been a long but fruitful journey from the inaugural session, which was convened on 2nd November 1987 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to this 73rd Session. Honourable delegates kindly join me in congratulating the African Commission for this phenomenal fete.
Honourable Commissioners, Distinguished Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen
I take the floor a few days after a coup in the Republic of Burkina Faso. This is the second unconstitutional seizure of power by the military this year and the eighth since 1960, when the country gained independence.
We are deeply concerned about this episode, which is among the many unconstitutional take-overs of power in the last few years.
Burkina Faso adds to the dozens of other stubborn armed conflicts on the continent, which have defied the African Unions call of silencing the guns as one of the precursors to socio-economic development.
In this regard, we call for a re-evaluation of the current efforts for a longterm multi-stakeholder approach that goes deeper into engaging the public in weaving lasting solutions.
Honourable Commissioners, Distinguished Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen
Indeed, as of December 2021, internally displaced, refugees and asylum seekers -all- accounted for more than 11.6 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa. Displacements have
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also been compounded by climate change and other natural disasters, which have driven more than 2.6 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa out of their homes¹. As life becomes even harder, more youths are on transit within the region as others take tumultuous journeys to Europe, Middle East, among other destinations outside the continent with the hope of escaping abject poverty.