Ruchira Kamboj lays out a 6-point plan on ‘Silencing the Guns in Africa’ at the UN Security Council

India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ruchira Kamboj laid out a six-point plan at the UN Security Council to support African efforts to silence guns by the end of this decade. Addressing the UNSC on Friday, Kamboj congratulated the Mozambican delegation for a very successful presidency and also for organizing Friday’s debate.

Kamboj noted that many countries in Africa, particularly in the Sahel, Central Africa and the Horn of Africa, remain conflict-ridden by factors that are driven by chronic political instability, ethnic divisions and exploitation by terrorist and armed groups. There is also a role of external factors in fueling such conflicts, which remains a matter of deep concern. We all need to come together to support African efforts to silence guns by the end of this decade, he added.

He then laid out his six-point plan. Presenting his first point, Kamboj said, “An inclusive polity, well-established governance structures, and a decentralized administration are important elements in the process of nation-building, which can be long and complex processes, especially over centuries.” For countries devastated by continued colonial rule, it is important to recognize the primacy of national governments and authorities in identifying and driving priorities, strategies and activities to sustain peace development and avoid relapse into conflict.