By Coletta Wanjohi
Antalya, Türkiye
African countries participating at the Antalya Diplomacy forum in Antalya, Türkiye, have urged for more diplomatic solutions in order to de-escalate the crises in the world.
“Diplomacy is very critical for our nations,” Leonard Boiyo, the Kenyan ambassador to Türkiye told TRT Afrika.
“Kenya plays a critical role in different forms of diplomacy, we have over a long period of time contributed in the region and beyond. We have been contributing in peacekeeping missions and it is because of this that Kenya was mandated to lead the multinational security support to Haiti given the current problems that are going on there,” Boiyo added.
The Antalya Diplomacy Forum, an annual event, is being held under the theme: “Advancing Diplomacy in Times of Turmoil.” This is its third edition.
It is a platform where countries candidly discuss the challenges affecting their development.
"If we talk of infrastructure, education and advancement in technology when people are living under poverty, it is meaningless," said Peya Mushelenga, Nambia's minister of international relations and cooperation.
South Sudan raised concerns over the United Nations' use of sanctions against developing nations, saying they were deterring development.
“There are some entities that are interested in sanctions and are using the United Nations,” Sudan Foreign Minister James Morgan told TRT Afrika.
In May 2023, the UN extended sanctions against South Sudan by another year. They include freezing of assets, travel bans against some officials and an arms embargo.
South Sudan blames the sanctions for its economic challenges.
“To us we feel like the UN should bring prosperity to the world because that is why it was created. The horror of the second World War should remind the UN that it was created in order to keep the world peaceful,” Morgan adds.
Sudan, which has been facing internal conflict since April 2023, assured participants at the forum that it was still determined to silence the guns in the country.
Fighting between the Sudan Armed Forces and the Rapid support Forces has caused a humanitarian crisis that has forced over eight million people to leave their homes.
About 1.5 million refugees have sought refuge into neighboring countries, like Chad , Egypt and South Sudan.
"We’re still committed to peace. War will not achieve anything. I agree with the slogan of this forum that diplomacy is the most important, " said Ali Elsadig Ali Hussien, Sudan's acting foreign minister.
The forum highlighted the need for concerted effort in tackling insecurity.
"Terrorism is not just an issue in Africa, it's a global issue. If we want to tackle it we have to do it globally; if not, we simply can not succeed, " Verónica Nataniel Macamo Dlhovo, Mozambique's foreign minister said.
The African Union (AU), Africa’s continental Body, is also participating at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum.
“There is much crisis going on, we see issues in Ukraine, in Palestine, but also within our own African continent we have peace and security challenges in some countries,” Bineta Diop, the AU Special Envoy on Women Peace and Security, told TRT Afrika.
“The big question is how can women contribute? The how is what we are discussing here in Antalya,” Diop added. “So my plea is that we should have collective actions that we are able to deliver.
Diop suggested that each country should be able to give itself a yardstick on how to implement the discussions made at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum.
“We should assess ourselves and say what have we done to make sure that each one of us promotes women peace and security agenda and actively report on what we have done,” she told TRT Afrika.
“For me Antalya is a good Forum, excellent, the next year we need to have accountability.”
