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Africa and Caribbean leaders demand 'formal apologies' from former slave-trading nations
🇵🇾 Paraguay /Culture & Society

Africa and Caribbean leaders demand 'formal apologies' from former slave-trading nations

From ABC Color · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Official statement Context piece
  • Leaders from Africa and the Caribbean have demanded formal apologies and reparations from former slave-trading nations.
  • The call follows a UN resolution in March that declared the slave trade the "gravest crime against humanity."
  • The demand was outlined in a declaration from a high-level conference in Accra, Ghana, attended by several heads of state.

Leaders from across Africa and the Caribbean are demanding "formal apologies" and reparations from nations involved in the historical slave trade. This call comes after a significant UN resolution in March that officially recognized the transatlantic slave trade as the "gravest crime against humanity."

full, formal, and unconditional apologies

— Declaration from Accra ConferenceThe leaders' demand for a foundational step towards reconciliation and justice.

The demands were formalized in a declaration released following a high-level conference held in Accra, Ghana, from June 17 to 19. The meeting brought together heads of state from Ghana, Liberia, Namibia, Senegal, and the Prime Minister of Barbados, along with the Chairperson of the African Union Commission. The declaration urges nations and non-state institutions that have not yet done so to acknowledge their role in the "trade in enslaved Africans and descendants of Africans, as well as in the racialized enslavement of Africans."

Participants insisted on "full, formal, and unconditional apologies" as a crucial step toward reconciliation, trust-building, and reparative justice. They also committed to strengthening legal and institutional pathways for reparations, utilizing international, regional, and national mechanisms to ensure accountability. The leaders reaffirmed that the slave trade and subsequent enslavement constitute "the gravest crime against humanity and a violation of the peremptory norms of international law," asserting their determination to secure fair and adequate compensation for the peoples of Africa and their descendants.

the gravest crime against humanity and a violation of the peremptory norms of international law

— Declaration from Accra ConferenceReaffirming the nature of the slave trade and its legal implications.

French President Emmanuel Macron, addressing the conference via video message, suggested that reparations could take various forms beyond financial compensation. He emphasized that "making reparations can never be simply a check to close the story" and should involve historical and scientific truth-telling through education and research, as well as the restitution of stolen art. The UN resolution, initially proposed by Ghana, passed the General Assembly with 123 votes in favor, three against (United States, Israel, and Argentina), and 52 abstentions.

Making reparations can never be simply a check to close the story.

— Emmanuel MacronFrench President, speaking at the conference about the multifaceted nature of reparations.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by ABC Color in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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