Doubts as Africa marks Human Rights Day

Arusha. Many African governments lack the political will to fight human rights violations and impunity, the African Union (AU) chairperson has said.

There is also on the African continent less commitment for parties to adhering to human rights treaties and a good number of African countries have refused to allow independent observers to monitor their domestic human rights records.

“If not urgently and adequately addressed, these and other challenges may erase human rights gains recorded over the years,” said AU Commission chairperson Nkosazana Zuma in a statement on Africa Human Rights Day on Friday.

She noted that the continent continued facing many challenges with regard to the promotion and protection human and people’s rights. According to her, despite the creation of various national and regional commissions to fight against human rights violations, the situation has not improved much. Dr Zuma noted in a statement availed to The Citizen that AU was much concerned about lack of political will among African leaders to protect human rights across the continent. “Lack of political will and unwillingness by some states to allow independent supranational monitoring bodies puts into question the commitment to fostering human rights on the continent,” she noted.

She explained that although Africa had the largest number of government human rights commissions than any other continents, such institutions lacked capacity and were under-funded.