PEACE AND SECURITY COUNCIL
857TH MEETING
5 JULY 2019
NIAMEY, NIGER

COMMUNIQUE

Adopted by the Peace and Security Council at its 857th meeting held on 5 July 2019, on the situation in Libya and on the plight of African Migrants in Libya,

The Peace and Security Council,

Recalling Article 4 (o) of the AU Constitutive Act stating the sanctity of human life and article 7 of the Protocol Relating to the Establishment of the Peace and Security Council, as well as its previous communiqués and press statements on the situation in Libya and the situation of African migrants in the country, particularly press statement [PSC/PR/BR. (DCCCII)] of 802nd meeting held on17 October 2018, communiqué [PSC/MIN. (DCCXCVII)] of 797th meeting held at ministerial level on 24 September 2018, on the margins of the 73rd Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, United States of America, and 839th and communique [PSC/PR/COMM.(PSC/PR/COMM.(DCCCXXXIX)] meeting held on 9 April 2019;

Noting the remarks by H.E. Professor Robert Dussey Foreign Minister of the Togolese Republic, in his capacity as Chairperson of the PSC for the month of July 2019, and the Statement made by H.E. Moussa Faki Mahamat, Chairperson of the AU Commission; further noting the presentation by Ambassador Smaïl Chergui, Commissioner for Peace and Security, as well as the statement made by the Representative of the State of Libya;

Expressing grave concern, once again, over the situation in Libya, especially since 4 April 2019 and over the plight of African migrants in camps and detention centres in this country , in particular the recent bombing on migrants and refugees at Tajoura Detention Centre near Tripoli, in Libya, that left 53 dead and hundreds severely injured on 3 July 2019;

Expressing solidarity to the Government and people of Libya, and reaffirming its commitment and readiness to continue to supporting the Libyan stakeholder in addressing the crisis in their country, in line with the relevant AU instruments and principles.

Acting under Article 7 of its Protocol, the Peace and Security Council:

1. Condemns, in the strongest terms possible, the perpetrators of the savage attack, whoever they are, which was carried out on 3 July 2019 at Tajoura Migrant Detention Centre in the vicinity of Tripoli in Libya, against migrants, which caused loss of lives and left hundreds injured, among them; expresses its deep condolences to the families of the deceased and wishes speedy recovery to all the injured migrants and refugees;
2. Endorses the Press Release of the Chairperson of the Commission of 3 July 2019, condemning this horrific crime and calling for an independent investigation on the perpetration of this crime;
3. Decides that an independent inquiry be urgently instituted, with the participation of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR), with a view to establishing the facts of the 3 July 2019 attack on the Tajoura Detention Centre near Tripoli and providing recommendations on practical measures for ensuring dignity, well-being, safety and security of migrants; in this context, Council requests the Commission to submit the outcome of the investigation to Council by 30 September 2019 for its consideration;
4. Emphasizes the central role of the AU, working closely with the countries of the region, in the search for a durable solution to the crisis in Libya; in this context, Council insists that all partners engaged in supporting the efforts to resolve the Libyan crisis should complement and respect the approach of the AU; in this respect, Council requests the Chairperson of the Commission to further enhance his diplomatic engagement with all those concerned to ensure that collective action is expeditiously and effectively taken to put an end to the crisis in Libya;
5. Reminds that the United Nations (UN), though its Security Council has the primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security in accordance with Chapter VII of the UN Charter; accordingly, Council requests the Security Council to take full responsibility towards the speedy resolution of the crisis in Libya, bearing in mind that the continuation of this crisis has severe consequences, especially illegal circulation and use of arms, trafficking, proliferation of terrorist groups, transnational organized crime, among other, on Libya itself, the region and the African Continent;
6. Demands that all the perpetrators of this heinous crime be brought to justice without delay; In this context, Council urges Libyan authorities and other stakeholders to extend the necessary cooperation, to the investigation on the attack on the Tajoura Migrant Centre;
7. Calls on the Libyan authorities to take concrete measures for the protection of civilians in Libya, including the migrants and refugees, in line with International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights Law; further calls on Libyan authorities to dismantle all detention centers/camps in Libya, with a view to reducing the vulnerability of the migrants and refugees;
8. Underscores the need on the part of Member States to take measures to decisively address root causes of irregular migration; calls on all concerned countries to redouble efforts with view to facilitating the speedy repatriation, including provision of logistical support, of their nationals from Libya in order to prevent any further exploitation of their fragile situation;
9. Recalls its previous communiqués and press statements on the political situation in Libya; Reaffirms that there is no military solution to the Libyan crisis and emphasizes the imperative of a political solution as the only viable peaceful solution in resolving the prevailing crisis;
10. Strongly condemns the external interference, by whomsoever, into African peace and security issues; in this respect, Council particularly expresses concern over increasing external intervention in domestic affairs of Libya as manifested by continued supply of arms to military factions and militias in violation of the UN arms embargo, deliberate attempts to divide Libyan  stakeholders, which is undermining efforts to definitely resolve the crisis in Libya; in this regard, Council stresses that any external support must complement African-led efforts for dialogue and reconciliation among the Libyan stakeholders; in this context, Council warns that it will proceed to naming and shaming those involved in order to address this problem;
11. Demands the warring factions in Libya to immediately cease hostilities and commit to a permanent ceasefire and reengage in a genuine national dialogue in order to promote a political and inclusive solution to the crisis and reiterates its full support to the reconciliation conference to be organized by the African Union Commission and the AU High-Level Committee of Heads of State and Government of Libya;
12. Looks forward to the planned meeting of the AU High-Level Ad Hoc Committee on Libya to take place on the margins of the inaugural AU-RECs Coordination Summit in Niamey, Niger;
13. Decides to remain actively seized of the matter.

  Eswatini, 04 May 2019

 

His Excellency the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of ESWATINI,

Honourable Ministers,

Mr. President of the Commission of the African Union,

Mr. Secretary General of the ACP States, Dr. Patrick GOMES,

The Chief Negotiator for the European Union in the post-Cotonou Agreement,

Excellencies the Ambassadors,

Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,

To start with, I wish to thank the King of Eswatini, the Government and the people of our host country for their courage of hospitality. Since we arrived in this African land of the ACP States, our impressions are very good as regards their great sense of hospitality. I have done in your beautiful country what Alioune DIOP, a convinced great pan-African, founder of the Magazine Présence Africaine, who wanted Africa to be present on the world stage, called ” the intimate experience of African life “. The experience of your astonishing sense of otherness has awakened in me my pan-Africanist intuitions and passions back to my earliest childhood.

I would also like to thank the various delegations here. Your strong involvement in these regional consultations is undoubtedly a good reflection of your interest in the ongoing negotiations. The stakes are common, and so is your commitment.

Ladies and gentlemen,

The Pacific region, which held its regional consultations on 25th and 26th February 2019 in Apia, Samoa, is directly negotiating the EU-Pacific pillar of the new agreement with the EU. The Caribbean region has followed the same pattern and held its regional consultations on 15^th April in Kingston, Jamaica. The EU-Africa Regional Consultations this week are announcing at the African level the formal start of the negotiations on the EU-Africa pillar of the future ACP-EU Partnership Agreement, even though in recent months excellent technical work has been done on the negotiations at the African Union level.

The specific characteristics of Africa in terms of challenges, potentials, priorities, development frameworks (commercial, economic and human) and partnership with the outside are known. There is a long history of partnership between the EU and Africa that was reaffirmed in Abidjan in 2017. Consistent with the current EU-Africa partnership and in a new spirit, Africa is called to negotiate the EU-Africa pillar of the post-Cotonou Agreement.

The Continental Free Trade Area (CFTA) being created in Africa is a qualitative evolution, which, in the near future, will give a new face to the intra-African and international trade in Africa.

The pillar of the EU-Africa post-Cotonou Agreement must be in line with the strategic orientations of the CFTA, the AU 2063 Agenda and the EU-Africa Summit in Abidjan, as well as with the clearly stated desire for development in Africa. Africa must broaden its trade with Europe; raise the level of political dialogue with the EU on issues as crucial as security, peace, human rights, African cultural properties still existing in Europe, the Sustainable Development Goals, climate change and migration.

The topics that will be at the center of the negotiations in the EU-Africa protocol of the agreement are of vital importance for Africa and the ACP Group. Africa, must conduct its regional negotiations with professionalism and a high of sense of responsibility. Through our work, on an African scale, we must prove to the ACP Group that it made the right choice at the right time by opting for autonomy and freedom of action of the regions in negotiating the regional pillars. The moment is historic and the work must be done with an ethics of responsibility. I am convinced that the African negotiators are aware of their responsibility.

Ladies and gentlemen,

I would like to finish with a thought of Kwame NKRUMAH that we Africans must never lose sight of: “United, Africa could become one of the greatest forces for good in the world “.

Thank you for your attention

Negotiations between the ACP Group of States and the European Union are continuing to reach a post-Cotonou agreement by 2020.
This time, the discussions are taking place in Jamaica after N’Djamena and Samoa. None of the geographical regions concerned are forgotten.

In Kingston, there are the same interlocutors including the Central Negotiating Group (GCN), the European Commissioner for Development, Neven Mimica and Robert Dussey, the chief negotiator for the ACP countries.

“Coming to Jamaica I am African, but I also feel deeply Caribbean,” said the Togolese diplomat, speaking at the debates. This Caribbean island is in fact mostly populated by descendants of African slaves.

Discussions are proceeding at a rapid pace to reach agreement by 2020 and perhaps even before.

Mr. Dussey pointed out, however, that despite the progress made, ‘both parties have also recognized the need to speed up negotiations so that the bulk of the negotiations can be concluded by the summer of 2019’

He praised the merits of a future agreement based on strategic regional priorities.

The great novelty is indeed based on the needs and specificities of each geographical area, unlike the current one, the 79 countries forming the ACP bloc are not uniform. The demands of the Pacific or Caribbean countries have nothing to do with those of Africa.

The purpose of the talks is to reach a new agreement consisting of a common core and three regional partnerships.

The common ground, applicable to all members of the partnership, will list objectives, priorities and general principles and will enhance cooperation at the international level.

Regional partnerships will be the center of gravity and will set specific regional priorities for African, Caribbean and Pacific countries, in line with strengthened regional dynamics and the increased importance of regional organizations.

Brussels, 4 April 2019

Robert Dussey, Togolese Minister of Foreign Affairs and Head of Negotiations Post-Cotonou ACP 2020, participates in the two-day meeting, which starts today in Apia, the capital of Samoa, with the aim of engaging in-depth discussions and dialogue with the EU with a view to finalizing a new agreement between the EU and the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries.

I had a good meeting today with a Pacific Head of States in Apia #samoa. I presented a report on the status of ACP-EU Negotiations for a post-Cotonou Treaty @PressACP @WB_AsiaPacific pic.twitter.com/220I7tfUlB

— Robert Dussey (@rdussey) February 25, 2019

The dialogue is convened as part of the political consultations between the different ACP regions and the EU on the negotiations for a post-Cotonou agreement, in accordance with the processes approved by the ACP Group and the EU at the start of the negotiations in November 2018.

On the sidelines of this meeting, Minister Robert Dussey had a meeting with Samoa’s Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi.

Thanks to the Prime Minister Tuila’epa Sa’ilele Malielegaoi of #Samoa. On Behalf of The President F. Gnassingbé , i congratulated him for his positive role as member of @ACP @forumsec pic.twitter.com/WEhqtKjv51

— Robert Dussey (@rdussey) February 25, 2019

‘Action does not always bring happiness, but there is no happiness without action’. Quoting American author William James, Foreign Minister Robert Dussey paid a warm tribute on Monday night to David Gilmour, the US ambassador, who has completed his mission in Togo.

We had a farewell dinner in honour of David Gilmour, US Ambassador in Togo . Thanks for your excellent job: AGOA 2017, MCC…have a good trip to your country @StateDept @USEmbassyLome pic.twitter.com/aRRJX6gO1q

— Robert Dussey (@rdussey) February 18, 2019

Il a salué ‘non seulement le diplomate exceptionnel que vous êtes, mais aussi l’ensemble des actions que vous avez entreprises au cours de votre mission  au côté du gouvernement en faveur de ses populations’.

Les Togolais ont, et garderont de vous, l’image d’un diplomate exemplaire, a souligné M. Dussey. 

Le Gouvernement togolais apprécie le bilan positif de l Ambassadeur David Gilmour avant son départ du Togo pic.twitter.com/9ZpNOTfnEX

— Robert Dussey (@rdussey) February 18, 2019

‘History is the ally of men who forge history because they know how to remember them and their actions. Posterity will tell you and diplomatic memories of our two countries: an American diplomat by the name of David Gilmour lived in Togo from 2015 to 2019, concluded the Togolese diplomat.

L Ambassadeur David Gilmour quitte le Togo avec l appréciation d une population merveilleuse et d un gouvernement travailleur avec des résultats pic.twitter.com/BIpuxQvtRf

— Robert Dussey (@rdussey) February 18, 2019

By S.E.Pr. Robert DUSSEY, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Cooperation and African Integration of Togo, Chief Negotiator of the ACP Group for Post-Cotonou

The kick-off of negotiations leading to a new ACP-European Union (EU) partnership agreement replacing the Cotonou Agreement, which expires in February 2020, was given on 28 September 2018 in New York, USA on the sidelines of the 73rd Ordinary Session of the UN General Assembly by decision of both parties. With this solemn ceremony, the EU and the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP) formally endorsed their option for continuity. The world has changed profoundly and the future agreement will have to incorporate a number of realities if the ACP-EU partnership really wants to be in tune with the spirit of the times.

The current context is that of the decentring of the world, the world has no center and peripheries and, to put it bluntly, the West and Europe are no longer the center of the world. The world is today defined by a multipolarity carried by a diversity of actors who work to weigh on its destiny. Taking into account this historical development makes it possible to change the ACP-EU partnership to include it in a new logic: that of a strict equality characterized by justice and fairness of the terms of cooperation. The ACP expects more equity and less imbalance in the future partnership agreement. The limits of the Cotonou Agreement in terms of imbalance in the ratio of trade are known to all.

One of the difficulties of the ACP-EU partnership, from the beginning to the present, is the productive inequality of both parties. The European economy has a large production force whereas the ACP has a very weak productive capacity. The unequal “capability”, to use the expression of Amartya Sen *, which characterizes the economies of both parties is problematic. The advantage of the EU in terms of the possibility of trade with the ACP is much greater than that of the ACP Group.

While in principle the European market is open to ACP member countries, the latter do not yet sufficiently benefit commercially. The ACP’s weak productive capacity does not allow them to take better advantage of the opportunities offered by the opening of the European market. Free access to the European market is an asset for the ACP, but working to extract more profits from the European market remains a challenge. The ACP must work to strengthen their productive capacities and increase the level of their exports to the EU.

The ACP equilibrium requirement in the terms of the future partnership agreement is known to the EU, but ensuring that this desired and expressed balance becomes a reality remains a challenge. Hence the substantive work that must be done and is still done on the side of the ACP. ACP experts and negotiators work daily on the negotiations internally. This ant work deserves to be done because the current ACP negotiators are very aware of their historical responsibility. Negotiating on behalf of 79 countries without a high sense of responsibility would be a serious mistake that future generations of the ACP Group can not understand or forgive.

The negotiations are conducted with full responsibility and will lead to a single common-pillar partnership agreement with three specific regional pillars. The common basis of the agreement will be the objectives, priorities and general principles of the future agreement and the multilateral action of the EU and the ACP Group on the world stage. The three regional pillars will be specialized partnerships between the EU and each of the geographical areas of the ACP, namely Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific, within the framework of the ACP-EU partnership. The agreement envisaged, by its structure, marks a break with the past.

The aim is to reach the signing of a new ACP-EU partnership agreement by 2020 at the latest, the negotiations which, according to Antoine Pecquet (1704-1762) in his book Speech on the Art of Negotiating, prepare “Big events” must be carried out at a steady pace.

Logically, the first phase of negotiations will allow both parties to agree on the structure of the future agreement and especially on the format of the organization and the holding of the different sequences of negotiations.

The second phase of the negotiations will focus on the common basis of the agreement. It will allow the parties to agree on the guiding principles, general objectives and overall priorities of their partnership.

The third phase of the negotiations will focus on the three pillars or regional partnerships. The final phase of the negotiations will be the consolidation of all the achievements of the process, the re-examination of any outstanding issue or subject and the conclusion of the negotiations. The process looks a bit long but we will get there. “To hope is not foolishness, but a testament to wisdom,” says Polish philosopher Henryk Skolimowski

Excerpt from METRO UN N ° 06, THE VIEWS OF VIEWS ON UNITED NATIONS DEBATES magazine

By Robert Dussey, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Cooperation and African Integration of Togo

On the 5th and 6th of June will take place the Development Days of Europe. As in every edition, this high mass, whose main theme this year will be “Women and girls at the forefront of sustainable development: protecting, empowering, and investing,” will bring together development actors to discuss the key challenges that lie ahead. pose to the world. For obvious reasons, Africa should be on the agenda.

Europe and Africa are, in fact, two continents that geography has brought together, but a painful history has, in a way, moved away. The consequence of this story is that the relationship between the two blocks has always been marked by a mixture of fascination and mistrust. The feeling of a bound destiny but of an impossible alliance predominates. The outcry aroused in part of French-speaking Africa following the inauguration, on May 9, of the “new Place de l’Europe” in Gorée, emblematic place of the transatlantic slave trade, perfectly illustrates the complexity of this relationship.

This project to renovate a historic site, which was originally inaugurated by former European Commission President Romano Prodi in 2003, was largely funded by the European Union. But this gesture, which wanted to be friendly, was considered awkward by some, and scandalous by others. This relationship of distrust can no longer last because the risk it poses on both continents is now too high. Despite flattering nominal growth rates for a decade, poverty remains high in Africa.

Inequalities are widening and population growth continues. In rural areas, extreme weather events are increasing. They cause famine and conflict, and push many young idle into the arms of terrorist groups that are now swarming on the continent and threaten the stability of African states. In the urban areas, thousands of young people, sometimes graduates, but underemployed or unemployed, are hostages of political systems that, for all sorts of reasons, good or bad, are unable to offer them the conditions for a better life. . Not surprisingly, these young Africans are on the road to European exile, often risking their lives. Terrorism, the consequences of climate change, illegal immigration, are major challenges for Africa, and therefore for Europe.

This Europe is all the more concerned by the destiny of Africa as there have always been important interests. These interests, the legitimate pursuit of which leads too often to alliances and supports whose consequences are harmful for the African populations as well as, more and more, for the European citizens. This is why we must renew the software of the Africa-Europe relationship. On the European side, this has historically been limited to institutional links, to the abstract promotion of great democratic principles, and to the sometimes cynical defense of commercial positions. It is now necessary to establish bonds of trust with African youth who are more informed, aware of global issues and willing to take part in world affairs.

The record of 30 years of electoral democracy in Africa is disappointing, as it has been implanted in fragile nation states. Perhaps it is time to work to strengthen these nation states. On the African side, almost five decades after Independence, efforts must be made to establish a relationship of trust with Europe. On this point, African diplomats have an eminent role to play in explaining the African vision of the world to Europe, find points of convergence, defend projects of common interests, and work together for the advent of a world more stable, because more just.