The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr.Samuel OkudzetoAblakwa, has expressed confidence that the international community will support a resolution to declare the transatlantic slave trade the gravest crime against humanity when it is presented at the United Nations General Assembly.
He said the resolution will be tabled on March 25 by Ghana’s President, John Dramani Mahama, following consultations with African and international partners.
Speaking on the initiative, Mr. Ablakwa said the proposal seeks global acknowledgement of the historical injustice inflicted on millions of Africans during the centuries long trade.
“The resolution President Mahama will be tabling at the United Nations on the 25th of March is a consequential one that seeks to declare the transatlantic slave trade as the gravest crime against humanity”, he said.
Historical records indicate that more than 12.5 million Africans were forcibly taken from the continent between the 15th and 19th centuries, with many transported across the Atlantic to plantations in the Caribbean and the Americas where they were compelled to work under harsh and degrading conditions.
Mr. Ablakwa said the journey across the Atlantic, often referred to as the Middle Passage, also claimed millions of lives.
“It is now documented that more than three million Africans died during the voyage. Some were thrown into the Atlantic Ocean, while others took their own lives by jumping overboard rather than endure the suffering”, he said.
Those who survived the journey were treated as property and denied basic human rights, he added.
“They were trafficked as chattel, stripped of dignity and commodified. Many endured torture and inhumane treatment both during the voyage and on the plantations,” he stated.
According to the Minister, the resolution seeks to push the global community toward acknowledgement of the atrocity and encourage countries linked to the trade to accept responsibility.
The minister said Ghana has already secured strong international backing for the resolution.
At the recent summit of the African Union in Addis Ababa, all 54 member states endorsed the proposal, demonstrating what he described as complete unity on the issue.
“All 54 member states of the African Union supported the resolution. Not a single country abstained,” he said.
He added that the resolution is intended to encourage global reflection and promote healing, stating that the international community must come together to address the historical injustice and work toward healing and closure.
Joyce Adwoa Animia Ocran,ISD
