African countries on Friday called on the United Nations Human Rights Council to organize an urgent debate on racism and security violence, in the context of the global movement after the death of African-American George Floyd.
In a letter signed by 54 countries that make up the African group coordinating their efforts on human rights issues, the Ambassador of Burkina Faso to the United Nations in Geneva, Dieudonné Desirie Soujoury, called for an "urgent discussion" on current human rights violations based on ethnic motives, systematic racism and security violence against people of African descent And violence against peaceful demonstrations. "
"The tragic events of May 25 in the city of Minneapolis, in the United States - which led to the death of George Floyd - sparked protests throughout the world against the injustice and violence that daily inflicts people of African descent in several regions of the world," the Burkini Ambassador added.
Unfortunately, the death of George Floyd is not an isolated incident, he added, noting that he is speaking on behalf of the representatives of the African Group and its ambassadors.
The letter was addressed to Austrian President of the Human Rights Council Elizabeth Teche-Wesselberger, and asked her to organize the discussion next week upon the resumption of the 43rd session of the Council, which was disrupted last March as a result of the Covid-19 epidemic.
This message comes after the Floyd and other victims ’families of police violence and some 600 NGOs have invited the Human Rights Council to urgently consider the problem of racism and impunity for US police.
For his part, a spokesman for the council told Agence France Presse that the request was issued by a large number of countries, which raises opportunities for organizing a similar discussion.