Slave trade: African nations demand reparations as UK abstains from UN vote

At a high-level United Nations consultative conference in Ghana, African and Caribbean countries issued a strong call for formal apologies and reparations from nations that profited from the transatlantic slave trade. This demand follows a recent UN General Assembly resolution that unequivocally declared the slave trade "the gravest crime against humanity."

The resolution, which urged member states to contribute to a reparations fund, saw overwhelming support with 143 countries voting in favor. However, a significant number of nations, including all 27 European Union members and the United Kingdom, abstained. This abstention, particularly from the UK, is highlighted as puzzling given its historical role in both participating in and later abolishing the trade.

The article delves into the UK's complex history, noting that while British merchants were deeply involved in the slave trade during the 1700s, the British government later enacted the Slave Trade Act of 1807, forbidding its subjects from engaging in the practice. The Royal Navy subsequently established the West Africa Squadron, which intercepted numerous slave ships and freed thousands of Africans over several decades.

James Kariuki, the Chargé d’Affaires at the UK Mission to the United Nations, offered a cryptic justification for the UK's abstention: "No single set of atrocities should be regarded as more or less significant than another." This statement prompts a deeper examination of the historical narrative, challenging the common perception that European traders were solely responsible for capturing enslaved Africans. The article asserts that local African rulers and merchants were instrumental in selling individuals into slavery long before European arrival, a practice that was already established within African societies.

“

No single set of atrocities should be regarded as more or less significant than another.