President John Dramani Mahama expressed disappointment with the United States' decision to vote against a landmark United Nations resolution recognising the transatlantic trafficking of enslaved Africans and racialised chattel enslavement as the gravest crime against humanity. The resolution, spearheaded by Mahama in his capacity as the African Union Champion for advancing justice and the payment of reparations, calls for good-faith dialogue on reparatory justice and the restitution of cultural property.
Mahama's Disappointment with the US Vote
Speaking in an interview with TRT World on Friday, August 21, President Mahama said he had not expected the United States to oppose the resolution because, in his view, the country should not be regarded as the principal party responsible for the transatlantic slave trade. "I was disappointed that they did because I don’t hold the US accountable for slavery," he said. According to Mahama, most of the enslaved Africans taken to what became the United States were transported there by European powers at a time when the United States itself was still a colony.
The European Union's Abstention
The European Union, in explaining its abstention at the UN vote, said it condemned the slave trade but had concerns about the resolution’s legal formulations, including claims for reparations and the application of international law to historical events. Despite this, European countries with direct historical links to the slave trade chose to abstain from the vote, leaving the United States as the only country to actively oppose the resolution.
Ghana's Reparations Campaign
Ghana's reparations campaign, spearheaded by President Mahama, is expected to remain a major component of the country's international diplomacy as the government works with African and diaspora partners to translate the UN resolution into practical measures for reparatory justice. The transatlantic slave trade forcibly removed millions of Africans from the continent between the 15th and 19th centuries, with the effects of enslavement continuing to shape debates on racial inequality, economic disparities, historical justice, and restitution.
The resolution, which was passed in March 2026 with 123 countries voting in favour, was a major milestone in Ghana's campaign to place reparatory justice for slavery and its enduring consequences at the centre of the international agenda. The pursuit of reparatory justice, as President Mahama has maintained, should move beyond resolutions towards concrete action.
Source: Joy Online
