By Hannah Dadzie
US Ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, has reiterated the need to finance and empower African Union Missions to address threats of coups in the sub-region.
She said the coups and instability in the sub-region are hampering development, as the resources meant for development are wasted on these life-threatening phenomena.
Speaking ahead of the UN Ministerial Peacekeeping Meeting at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC), in Accra, Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield said the Wagner Group in Africa should reconsider their actions and inactions, as these are destabilising economies in Africa.
UN peacekeeping operations are among the most effective mechanisms of burden-sharing to address global challenges to international peace and security. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield is leading the U.S. delegation to the 2023 UN Peacekeeping Ministerial Meeting in Accra.
This will be the Ambassador’s third visit to Ghana, emphasising Ghana-US relations. She said the US is appalled by the escalating violence in the Sahel region, adding that there is the need for urgent diplomacy to address the conflicts. She said peace and security in Africa are priorities for the Biden-Harris administration. She therefore commended Ghana for its critical role in helping to stabilise the Sahel region.
“I’ve seen the horrific toll that this violence takes on individuals and on entire communities. These alarming developments threaten peace and security not only in Africa but across the globe. And while these problems are not specific to Africa alone, African leadership has and will continue to play a major role in solving them. Just look at Ghana. As a net exporter of peace, Ghana has played a critical role to stabilize the region. Ghana’s leaders have worked tirelessly to raise African perspectives and concerns at the UN Security Council. To deploy thousands of troops to serve in UN peacekeeping missions in Africa.” Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield indicated.
Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield said efforts to address conflict, maintain peace and stability are central to the agenda of the US in all of its engagements.
“I’m proud of the steps the United States has taken both through the UN system and through our bilateral partnerships to advance African peace and security. Since the beginning of the Biden-Harris administration, the United States has invested $6.5 billion to support security, democracy, human rights, and governance on the continent,” the Ambassador said.
The US, she said, is committed to improving the effectiveness of UN peacekeeping and investing in African peace and security as well as continuing to work in close collaboration with allies and partners across Africa and around the world.
“Friends, the world urgently needs your ideas, your optimism, your impatience to create a better future. And I want you to know that the United States stands ready to support your leadership and your vision to get there,” she added.
When Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield was questioned on how some people have criticised the UN and the peacekeeping missions that we have on the continent, this is what she had to say.
“Look, I think UN peacekeeping missions have not been perfect, and this is why we constantly look at efforts at reform. We look to monitor what UN peacekeeping missions are doing. But they have certain mandates in the resolutions authorising them that they can’t go beyond. So that’s the first thing. The second is that in order for a peacekeeping mission to work, they also require host country support and host country backing. And I think in all of the cases where we have seen peacekeeping in recent times with countries demanding that peacekeeping operations close, shut down, such as in Mali, they did not have full support by the host country,” Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield maintained.