Speaking later to Capital FM News, Khamati said a number of those on the delegation that approached Egypt on Friday had served in Arab speaking countries and thereby understood the reference to them as, “dogs and slaves”/COURTESY
NAIROBI, Kenya, May 30 – The Africa Diplomatic Corps technical committee wants Egypt prohibited from representing the continent in any official capacity after their Minister for Environment and President of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN) referred to Africans from sub-Saharan Africa as “dogs and slaves.”
According to a memo written by Chair of the ADC Technical Committee Yvonne Khamati and seen by Capital FM News, the minister made the statement in Nairobi at the conclusion of the United Nations Environment Assembly.
“Divisions evolved when the resolution on Gaza as not adopted due to a lack of quorum because most delegations had left. As a result, a few African delegations consulted with the delegation of Morocco, in their capacity as Chair of the Arab League and Egypt, with the view to the view to dissuade them from nullifying the resolutions that had already been adopted before the issue of quorum was raised.”
“During our consultations with Egypt, the head of the Egyptian delegation and current President of AMCEN dismissed our concerns by informing that they would speak in their sovereign capacity and to that extent, referred to sub-Saharan Africa as dogs and slaves, in Arabic,” Khamati explained in the memo.
In the memo to the Dean of the Africa Diplomatic Corps and copied to the Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed and the Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Monica Juma, Khamati as Chair of the ADC Technical Committee, communicated the recommendation that “the Arab Republic of Egypt, at the highest level, unreservedly apologise to Africa,” and that they resign as President of AMCEN.
The committee has also recommended that the matter be escalated to the Permanent Representative Committee in Addis Ababa, New York, Vienna, Geneva, “and subsequently to the Heads of State Summit to be held in Kigali, Rwanda in July 2016.
Speaking later to Capital FM News, Khamati said a number of those on the delegation that approached Egypt on Friday had served in Arab speaking countries and thereby understood the reference to them as, “dogs and slaves.”
UNEA-2 came to a close on Friday when 120 governments agreed on 25 resolutions aimed at remedying air pollution, the illegal trade in wildlife, the effect of marine litter, debris and micro-plastics on oceans among others.
About The Author
