Japan pledges to back Africa’s bid for seat at UN Security Council table

Tunis — Japan pledged $30bn in aid for development in Africa at the weekend, saying it wants to work more closely with the continent and would back its bid for permanent membership on the UN Security Council.

Addressing the Tokyo International Conference on African Development in Tunis, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Tokyo would push for an African seat at the UN by using its place on the world body’s Security Council.

“Japan reiterates its determination to redress the historical injustice against Africa of not being represented through a permanent membership on the Security Council,” Kishida told the conference on Sunday.

“In order for the UN to work effectively for peace and stability, there is an urgent need to strengthen the UN as a whole through Security Council reform,” he said.

Kishida said the pledged $30bn would be delivered over three years, promising smaller sums for food security in co-ordination with the African Development Bank.

“If we give up on a rules-based society and permit unilateral changes of the status quo by force, the impact of that will extend not only through Africa, but all the world,” Kishida said by video link after testing positive for Covid-19.

Tunisia’s state news agency cited Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi as saying Japan was granting Tunisia $100m to help mitigate the impact of the pandemic.

The summit has given Tunisian President Kais Saied his biggest international platform since his 2019 election and comes after he seized broad powers, formally enshrined through a constitutional referendum, a move his critics call a coup.

Speaking on Friday at a joint press conference with his Japanese counterpart, Tunisian foreign minister Othman Jerandi repeatedly emphasised Tunisia’s commitment to democracy, which has been questioned by Saied’s critics.

The summit has triggered a row between Tunisia and Morocco, which was angered by Saied’s decision to invite the Polisario movement that seeks independence for Western Sahara, a territory Rabat regards as its own.

Morocco and Tunisia have recalled their ambassadors from each other’s countries for consultations. Rabat said the decision to invite Polisario leader Brahim Ghali was made against Japan’s wishes. Tokyo has yet to comment.

Tunisia is itself in need of financial support as it faces a looming crisis in public finances that has been worsened by the global squeeze on commodities. This week long queues have formed at petrol stations amid a fuel shortage, while shops have started rationing some goods.

Reuters