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President Mugabe welcomes Sierra Leone President Dr Ernest Bai Koroma at State House in Harare yesterday. Looking on are Vice President Phelekezela Mphoko and Foreign Affairs Minister Simbarashe Mumbengegwi

Fidelis Munyoro and Felex Share
Sierra Leone President Dr Ernest Bai Koroma, arrived in the country yesterday for consultations with President Mugabe on United Nations Security Council reforms as Africa steps up efforts to bring the Ezulwini Consensus to life.

Ezulwini Consensus, an agreement made by African Union leaders in 2005, underscores the continent’s common position on the need to be fully represented in all decision-making organs of the UN, particularly the Security Council.

President Koroma is the chairperson of the African Union Committee of Ten (C10), which advocates for the AU’s demand for representation in the Security Council and the Security Council reform.

Speaking to journalists after meeting President Mugabe at State House, President Koroma said the two discussed bilateral issues between their two countries.

“We had fruitful discussions on issues bordering on bilateral relations between Sierra Leone and Zimbabwe,” said President Koroma.

“We also discussed issues on the on-going UN Security Council reform in which Africa has presented a position. We discussed how we can advance Africa’s cause and African position in the UN reform.”

President Koroma added that on the bilateral issue, the deliberations were centred mainly on strengthening the collaboration going on between the two nations on areas of technical support and the agricultural sector.

President Mugabe said he exchanged notes with his counterpart on the two countries’ cooperation and United Nations.

“It has been those two areas of cooperation between our two countries,” he said. “It was about the United Nations and the reforms he seeks to effect as regards to security position. He would want to see our Ezulwini consensus coming to fruition.”

Led by President Mugabe as then Chairman of Africa Union (2015-16), the leaders were unanimous that reforms in the UN Security Council were long overdue so as to strengthen its capacity to respond to global crisis.

The African leaders met in Swaziland early this year, where they declared that two permanent seats in the UNSC be reserved for the African continent.

The African continent has three non-permanent members to the UNSC namely Angola, Egypt and Senegal.

However, the three African countries have no veto powers, and have minimal sway on critical decisions made at the council.

There is a strong feeling among Africa’s political and diplomatic elites that the continent has negligible clout at the UN despite contributing the highest number of members to the global body.

During his address at the AU Heads of State Summit in Ethiopia early this year, President Mugabe stated that granting two African countries permanent memberships to the UN Security Council would boost the credibility of the United Nations and the entire multilateral system.

President Koroma was welcomed at the Harare International Airport by Vice President Phelekezela Mphoko and Foreign Affairs Minister Simbarashe Mumbengegwi.