The Minister in charge of Foreign Affairs opens the 1080th meeting of the Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the African Union

On april 25, 2022, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Development Cooperation Ambassador Albert SHINGIRO proceeded to the official opening of the 1080th meeting of the Peace and Security Council of the African Union held in Bujumbura, under the high patronage of the President of Burundi HE Evariste NDAYISHIMIYE.

 In his address, Ambassador Albert SHINGIRO said that the organization of the 1080th meeting of the PSC in Burundi, following the Continental Dialogue on Youth, Peace and Security under the central theme “Youth, let us unite our talents and our strength for peace, security and sustainable and inclusive development in Africa” confirms Africa’s determination and common commitment to work in unison for peace, security and sustainable development of the African continent.

This occasion offers Burundi the opportunity to measure the importance of its role in front of this African youth who observes and hopes to find with Africa the path that can lead it to a better future. This youth, agent of peace and actor of development, must be seriously prepared to be able to take over in the responsible management of national, regional, continental and global governance and do better where Africa has failed.

 The Minister indicated that this meeting was therefore held to continue the diligent work of making Africa a continent free from conflict, terrorism and violent extremism through the prevention, management and resolution of conflict. through uniquely African solutions adapted to African principles, values and cultures.

Notwithstanding the significant progress already recorded, the Minister recalled that it is clear that Africa continues to face many challenges likely, if we are not careful, to annihilate the efforts already made on the road to peace and development.

 According to Minister Albert SHINGIRO, the first fundamental challenge for African nations at this time is the fight against terrorism, which in recent years has become the main concern not only for the African continent, but also for the whole world. Many African countries, from north to south, from east to west through the center have suffered from it and still suffer from it today, with enormous costs in human lives and material means.

It is in this context that Burundi has made military and police contingents available to the United Nations and the African Union to help restore and maintain peace and security, particularly in Somalia and in the Central African Republic. Burundi’s substantial contribution to the fight against terrorism and to peacekeeping operations in Africa and elsewhere in the world is a positive return to the international community, which stood by Burundi’s side when Burundi was going through hard times.

From its experience, Burundi knows that peace and security are priceless, like life, freedom, honor, dignity and the intrinsic values in which we all believe. For the Minister, these values and principles are sacred and absolute and should not be subject to any compromise in time of peace as in time of war. It is on the basis of these principles and values that Burundi reacts proactively through its intervention in countries where these values are really threatened by endogenous and exogenous negative forces, which sometimes operate by proxy to jeopardize peace and development on the African continent.

Burundi will naturally continue to support the fight against terrorism and various forms of threats to global security through international missions to restore and consolidate peace in Africa and around the world.

 However, it should be remembered that the best way to fight against terrorism and violent extremism  the long term is to seriously tackle the root causes of these phenomena, namely poverty, exclusion, poor governance, chronic dependency foreign aid, the illicit trafficking of natural resources, youth unemployment as well as the democratic and educational deficit.

Ambassador Albert Shingiro also indicated that apart from education, mentoring and empowering young Africans in order to transform them into agents of peace and actors of development remains crucial. This could be achieved by, for example, implementing the Youth, Peace and Security Agenda, through taking into account the skills, talents and strength of young people for the realization of the African Union’s Agenda 2063 and the United Nations 2030 Agenda to which Burundi has freely adhered.

It should be noted that after the removal of the sanctions that had been taken against Burundi by the African Union following the turbulence of 2015, Burundi was elected a member of the Peace and Security Council of the African Union and President of this Commission for the month of april 2022.