Nigerian President Mahamadou Issoufou said Thursday that the death of George Floyd was "the symbol of the old world that needs to be changed" , during a videoconference with his African Union peers. "The symbol of the old world which must be changed and which constantly violates these values (solidarity, equality, justice, dignity) is the assassination of George Floyd" , declared the Nigerien president in his speech transmitted to AFP by the presidency.
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"Our conference must unreservedly condemn this heinous act , " said Mahamadou Issoufou, concluding his speech on the death of George Floyd, an African-American asphyxiated in Minneapolis under the knee of a white American police officer. Speaking on the coronavirus pandemic that will affect African economies, the president had previously stressed: "It is imperative to set up a new paradigm, a new political and economic global governance, governance which will be based more on solidarity, equality, justice and dignity ” .
As in several speeches this year, Mr. Issoufou called on Western countries to go further than debt cancellations, demanding "a Marshall plan" for Africa. The G20 countries have decided to suspend the repayment of the debt of the poorest countries for one year to help them cope with the Covid-19 pandemic. German Chancellor Angela Merkel spoke of a new "gesture" at the end of May . The total debt of the African continent is estimated at 365 billion dollars, of which about a third is due to China.
According to a report Monday evening, Africa, which was relatively less affected than Europe or the United States, recorded nearly 200,000 cases for about 5,000 deaths.