The Chairperson of the African Union Commission has commended President John Dramani Mahama for his leadership in securing the adoption of a United Nations resolution declaring the trafficking of enslaved Africans as the gravest crime against humanity.
In a statement issued from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on Wednesday, the AUC Chairperson stated that President Mahama’s leadership reflects Africa’s longstanding and principled call for the full recognition of the slave trade and its enduring consequences.
The Chairperson warmly welcomed the adoption by the United Nations General Assembly of resolution A/80/L.48, led by the Republic of Ghana, declaring the trafficking of enslaved Africans and racialized chattel enslavement of Africans as the gravest crime against humanity.
The Chairperson stated that “this historic decision marks an important step toward truth, justice, and healing, and reinforces the urgent need to address the enduring legacy of slavery.”
The AUC Chairperson reiterated the African Union’s call for acknowledgment of the historical and contemporary impacts of slavery, including the pursuit of reparative justice, in line with Agenda 2063 and relevant Assembly decisions.
The statement noted that the African Union remains committed to working with the United Nations, Member States, and partners to advance historical justice and ensure that such crimes are neither forgotten nor repeated.
President Mahama had addressed the UN General Assembly on March 25, 2026, on behalf of the African Group, presenting the draft resolution during the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade.
In his address, President Mahama stated that the resolution was the result of months of consultation and consensus-building by continental bodies, nations, experts, scholars, and jurists, with the sole aim of achieving a united front.
He stated that the day honors the memory of approximately 13 million African men, women, and children who were enslaved over the course of several centuries.
President Mahama told the General Assembly that the adoption of the resolution serves as a safeguard against forgetting, and called on the global community to stand on the right side of history.
“Let it be recorded that when history beckoned, we did what was right for the memory of the millions who suffered the indignity of slavery,” he said.
Richard Aniagyei, ISD
