Morocco urges collective action to silence guns in Africa

Morocco emphasized the critical need for a unified and collective response to silence the guns in Africa during a meeting of the African Union (AU) Peace and Security Council (PSC), held on Wednesday in Addis Ababa.

Addressing a PSC session, the Moroccan delegation highlighted the ongoing and alarming prevalence of conflict across the continent, and stressed the urgency of an adaptive, coordinated, and comprehensive response to address these challenges.

The delegation underscored the inseparable link between peace and development, advocating for a holistic, integrated, and multidimensional approach that intertwines “peace, security, and development.”

This framework must transcend conventional boundaries and actively include the voices of women and youth—groups often disproportionately affected by the consequences of conflict; moreover, their participation, the delegation emphasized, is vital for ensuring equity and sustainability in collective efforts.

Improving the living conditions of communities was identified as a cornerstone for addressing the root causes of security challenges, with the delegation emphasizing the need to focus on socio-economic development, particularly in areas such as education, healthcare, employment, and other opportunities; these, it argued, are essential for building resilience and reducing vulnerabilities within communities.

The Moroccan delegation welcomed the inclusion of environmental considerations in the AU’s roadmap for silencing the guns, stressing the importance of transforming this recognition into concrete and actionable initiatives; furthermore, it highlighted the pressing need to mitigate the impacts of climate change on the security and stability.

Reiterating the importance of curbing the illicit circulation of small arms and light weapons, the delegation called for the establishment of robust mechanisms for control and traceability at the national, regional, and continental levels.

With only six years remaining until the 2030 target of silencing the guns in Africa, the delegation stressed that this journey must culminate in achieving a shared vision: “an Africa at peace, an Africa that takes charge of its own future, and an Africa whose voice resonates globally.”