Former colonial powers should apologise and pay compensation for his or her historic function within the enslavement of Africans, Grenadian Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell instructed European Fee President Ursula von der Leyen.
Mitchell addressed von der Leyen late on Wednesday (Feb 19) on the forty eighth heads of presidency assembly of the Caribbean Group (CARICOM) in Barbados, which the European chief attended for the primary time.
“I do not imply to be rude,” Mitchell mentioned, taking a look at von der Leyen. “However I’ll say it to you: the problem of reparations… is a matter we are going to take up with you.”
Mitchell added: “We owe it to ourselves and future generations of humanity to make sure (slavery) is accepted as a criminal offense in opposition to humanity, and that applicable apology and compensation is paid, and that the worldwide group accepts this could by no means occur once more.”
Von der Leyen replied to Mitchell with out referring to reparations, saying “slavery is a criminal offense in opposition to humanity… and the dignity and common rights of each single human being is untouchable and have to be defended by all means”.
From the fifteenth to the nineteenth century, no less than 12.5 million Africans had been kidnapped, forcibly transported by principally European retailers and offered into slavery.
Requires reparations for slavery and colonialism are long-standing however have been gaining momentum worldwide, notably amongst CARICOM and the African Union (AU).
CARICOM has its personal reparation plan, which, amongst different calls for, requires know-how transfers and investments to deal with well being crises and illiteracy. The AU is creating its personal plan.
In 2023, the EU and the Group of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) agreed to incorporate of their summit’s last assertion a paragraph that acknowledged the “untold struggling” slavery inflicted on hundreds of thousands.
Within the assertion, adopted by leaders of either side, the CELAC referred to CARICOM’s reparations plan.
