Group hails UN on reparation for Africa, wants slavery, racism declared crime against humanity

The NBM of Africa has hailed the decision of the United Nations to grant reparation to Africa for the various crimes committed against the continent.

The group in a statement by its Public Relations Officer, Mr. Oluwatosin Dixon on Tuesday made available to newsmen also declared racism as a crime to humanity.

According to the statement, “The NBM of Africa wholeheartedly welcomes Monday’s report by the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, on reparation to Africa, for various crimes, including slavery and the systemic racism committed against the continent. It is long overdue.

“The report haven probed at the roots of centuries of mistreatment faced by Africans and people of African descent from the transatlantic slave trade, has rightly sought a “transformative” approach to address the continued impact in the form of reparation.

“We demand further that slavery and its other upshoots, including racism be declared crimes against humanity.

“We commend the example set by the United States of America (US), following the cowardly murder of George Floyd, and join in urging other countries to do more to help end discrimination, violence and systemic racism against people of African descent.

“We endorse the UN chief’s recommendation that monetary compensation alone is not enough and would be part of an array of measures to help rectify or make up for the injustices.

“It is also gladdening to note that a little over two decades after the death of Nigeria’s Chief Moshood Abiola, who not unlike others before him pressured the West on the grave issue, the fight against this massive injustice is to be addressed.

“They vigorously championed the cause of Reparation for Africans, the imperative of which is coming to fruition.”

The group urged the UN to make the reparations paid to Israel by West Germany for Nazi atrocities and the United Nations resolution on reparations payments by Iraq to Kuwait for damage by its forces as a precedent to follow.

“We, therefore, call on the African Union (AU) to seize the momentum and redouble its effort to ensure that the window so opened for reparation to the continent is quickly actualized.”