The African Union has declared 2025 the year of justice for Africans and people of African descent through reparations. This initiative represents a commitment by the African Union to address historical injustices, including the transatlantic slave trade, colonialism, apartheid, and genocide.
The summit builds on decades of efforts and advocacy to promote unity and establish restorative justice mechanisms around the world. The resolution, sponsored by Ghana and Algeria and adopted by the African Union at the conclusion of the summit, is titled “Justice for Africans and People of African Descent through Reparations.”
Many analysts see this resolution as a historic victory for African unity and a response to the violent past suffered by the peoples of the continent.
According to journalist and political analyst Taifour Smain, the African Union’s decision could be a turning point in relations between Africa and the West. “By placing the issue of reparations and colonial justice at the heart of the international debate, this decision could be a turning point in relations between Africa and the West, not only as financial compensation for years of colonialism, but also as justice for the peoples of African countries,” he said.
“European countries allocate funds for education and humanitarian aid to poor African countries, but at the same time they drain their natural and human resources on a daily basis,” Smain added.
The political analyst also called on former colonial powers to acknowledge the crimes they committed, stressing that Europeans are obligated to follow a just policy towards Africa’s development.
It is worth noting that the African Union will focus in 2025 on slavery and the transatlantic slave trade, a trade in which former colonial powers such as Portugal, Great Britain, France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany played a major role.
During the 38th African Union Summit in Addis Ababa, African leaders assessed the nominal value of debts owed by France, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Portugal and the United Kingdom to African countries, as part of recognition and compensation for colonial crimes.
According to a map of compensation for Africa’s colonial past, prepared by Sudanese international law professor Major General Dr. Al-Tayeb Abdul Jalil, London owes Sudan $700 billion, as a result of the huge losses incurred by Sudan under British colonial rule.
According to these calculations, the United Kingdom should pay $700 billion to Sudan, France $653 billion to Algeria, and Belgium $1,600 billion to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This is a controversial estimate that reopens the debate on compensation.
The independence and strength of African countries constitute a real asset in demanding justice and compensation for the past. Today, Africans are dictating the rules of the game and determining their future, a development that worries many Europeans, since the wealth of some African countries has been, for decades, a major source of growth for their economies.