President John Dramani Mahama expressed significant disappointment with the United States for voting against a United Nations resolution recognizing the transatlantic slave trade and racialized chattel enslavement as the gravest crime against humanity, according to a statement released on Friday, August 21, 2026. Speaking to TRT World, the President stated that he did not anticipate the US would oppose the resolution, arguing that European powers were primarily responsible for transporting enslaved Africans to the Americas. He explained that most Africans taken to what became the United States were transported by European powers during a period when the US was still a colony, acknowledging that slavery continued in the country after independence and was eventually abolished following the Civil War. Even though after the abolition and after the United States became an independent country, slavery continued until the Civil War, he acknowledged that European countries that organized and facilitated the transatlantic slave trade should bear greater historical responsibility. He questioned why the US voted against the resolution while several European countries with direct historical links to the slave trade abstained. ‘Even they abstained,’ he noted, emphasizing the significance of this vote for Ghana’s historic push for reparatory justice at the UN General Assembly, where 123 countries voted in favor of the resolution on March 25, 2026. The resolution, championed by President Mahama in his role as African Union Champion for advancing justice and reparations, calls for dialogue on reparatory justice and the restitution of cultural property. Although not legally binding, it carries significant political and moral weight. The comments follow Ghana’s historic push for reparatory justice at the UN General Assembly, where 123 countries voted in favor of the resolution on March 25, 2026. The US, Israel, and Argentina voted against it, while 52 countries, including Britain and EU member states, abstained. The resolution, championed by President Mahama in his role as African Union Champion for advancing justice and reparations, aims to address the historical injustice of slavery, promote truth, healing and reconciliation, and tackle its lasting effects. The issue is expected to remain a key part of Ghana’s international diplomatic agenda as the country works with African and diaspora partners to push for practical steps towards reparatory justice.” , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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Source: Adom Online
