BREAKING: African slave trade… France refuses to create “a hierarchy between crimes against humanity”
According to recent reports, the following story has emerged from the international scene.
France explained its abstention in a vote at the UN on a resolution calling the trafficking of enslaved Africans “the most serious crime against humanity”. Traveling to Lomé, Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot defended a position based on the refusal to establish a hierarchy between crimes against humanity. “If we abstained on this resolution, it is because we refuse to create a hierarchy between crimes against humanity, to place in competition the suffering that these abominations and these crimes continue to cause today,” he told AFP. However, he insisted on the need for memory work, believing “that it is essential […] to be able to do this work of memory and truth about our past.”Relations with Togo also on the agendaAdopted at the end of March with 123 votes in favor, the resolution – supported in particular by Ghanaian President John Mahama – calls for recognition of “the trafficking of Africans reduced to slavery and the racialized slavery of Africans” as “the most serious crimes against humanity”. It also provides for reparation measures, such as formal apologies, compensation and the restitution of cultural property. Our file on slavery On the sidelines of this diplomatic position, Jean-Noël Barrot spoke of relations with Togo. “I pleaded for this suspension to be lifted as quickly as possible. It is in the interest of all parties,” he said regarding the suspension of France 24 and Radio France Internationale, still in force since 2025. He also ruled out any comparison between European action in Africa and that of Moscow. “There is no comparison between the contribution of France and the European Union to the development of the continent and that of Russia,” he declared, in a context of Togo’s rapprochement with Russia.
What This Means:
This report highlights significant developments in the international landscape that could reshape diplomatic relations in the coming weeks.
As the situation continues to evolve, analysts are closely watching for further developments.
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Source: This article was originally published in another language by 20Minutes – Actu Monde and has been translated and adapted for our global English-speaking audience. Read the original article here.