President John Dramani Mahama has expressed joy over the adoption by the UN General Assembly of the resolution declaring the trafficking of enslaved Africans and racialised chattel enslavement of Africans as the gravest crime against humanity

President Mahama in a statement said the process of its realisation, from idea to reality, was made possible by the solidarity of people of good conscience around the world and led by the active coalition of the African Union, CARICOM and other groups.

“I cannot think of a better way to honour our forebears on the day of remembrance than to have the majority of the world’s countries affirm that the trafficking and enslavement of nearly 13 million human beings is, indeed, the gravest crime against humanity,” the President said.

One of those forebears, François-Dominique Toussaint L’Ouverture, who was born into slavery but became one of the architects of Haiti’s liberation, the first independent nation in Latin America and the Caribbean, said: “The greatest weapon against oppression is unity.”

“We must stand united in seeking the restoration of the humanity and dignity of our forebears who were enslaved and sold,” he stated.

Meanwhile, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, the Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission, welcomed the adoption of the resolution A/80/L.48, led by Ghana, by the United Nations General Assembly.

He described the trafficking of enslaved Africans and racialised chattel enslavement of Africans as the gravest crime against humanity.

The AU Commission Chairperson, in a statement copied to the Ghana News Agency, commended Ghana’s President John Dramani Mahama for this important leadership, which reflected Africa’s longstanding and principled call for the full recognition of the slave trade and its enduring consequences.

“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 Chairperson stated.

The AUC Chairperson reiterated the African Union’s call for comprehensive acknowledgement of the historical and contemporary impacts of slavery, including the pursuit of reparative justice, in line with Agenda 2063 and relevant Assembly decisions.