International Relations and Cooperation Minister Ronald Lamola has emphasised that military solutions are ineffective in resolving conflicts.
He called on the Group of 20 (G20) nations to persist in advocating for peaceful resolutions through negotiation and dialogue.
In addition, Lamola has expressed South Africa’s growing concern over the deteriorating conflict situations in various regions of Africa, particularly highlighting the challenges in Sudan and the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
South Africa recently lost 14 brave soldiers at the hands of the M23 as fighting in the Goma region escalated.
The rebel group fought intensely against the Congolese armed forces, resulting in the deaths of soldiers from 23 to 27 January during M23’s advance on Sake and Goma.
The soldiers are part of the Southern African Development Community Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (SAMIDRC), which aims to help restore peace, security, and stability in Africa’s second-largest country.
“We call on the support of the G20 in our quest to silence the guns in Africa for the attainment of inclusive development and prosperity.”
Lamola addressed the attendees at the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting held in Nasrec, Johannesburg, while President Cyril Ramaphosa officially opened the gathering.
He also took the time to note “satisfaction” with the current efforts being made on various fronts to end the devastating conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine.
“We should all play our part in ensuring the success of these ongoing initiatives. We should also recommit to advancing the goal of a world free of nuclear weapons.”
He urged the group to focus on addressing critical debt sustainability weaknesses in the international debt system, including high financing costs and prioritising debt service payments over essential development needs, to mitigate the negative impacts of debt distress.
“Building on G20 initiatives undertaken in recent years, we should advance sustainable solutions to tackle high structural deficits and liquidity challenges and extend debt relief to developing economies.”
He encouraged other Ministers to back South Africa’s approach to geo-political issues, recommending discussions only among Sherpas, Foreign Ministers, and leaders to develop consensus-based strategies for peace and human development.
“We also like to caution against focusing exclusively on one conflict situation, to the exclusion of others, especially on the African continent, as has been the practice in the recent past.”
He reminded leaders that the United Nations (UN) remains the appropriate forum for maintaining peace and security, supported by other institutions of global governance.
“We hope that this group continues to play a constructive role in supporting relevant regional and international bodies, such as the AU [African Union], which are central to achieving sustainable development and that the core mandate of the G20 should remain that of promoting economic growth and development.”
Lamola believes that widening geopolitical divisions are at the centre of the crisis.
These divisions, he stressed, have contributed to fostering a climate of distrust, which threatens to unravel the progress made in addressing pressing global challenges such as deepening poverty, resolving armed conflict, climate change, pandemics, and nuclear proliferation.
He said South Africa is committed to collaborating with all G20 members to advance the forum’s work and to play a bridge-building role while preserving the group’s unity during its Presidency.
“It is our firm view that the unity of the group will be key to reaching consensus on this Presidency’s priorities and deliverables,” Lamola added. – SAnews.gov.za
