Sierra Leone’s President Wants Permanent UNSC Seats for Africa

Utilizing his nation's Presidency of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for August, President Julius Maada Bio of Sierra Leone in an address on August 12th has pushed for a restructuring of the international body with increased representation for Africa.."The Security Council's current structure reflects an outdated world order, an era that fails to recognize Africa's growing importance and contributions….Africa demands two permanent seats in the UN Security Council and two additional non-permanent seats, bringing the total number of non-permanent seats to five. The African Union (AU) will choose the African Permanent members," said President Bio..What You Need to Know.The topic of United Nations reform, specifically Security Council reform has been widely discussed in recent months, particularly as great power competition once again plays out on the African continent..Home to nearly 1.3 billion people accross 54 nations and projected to hold more than a quarter of the world's population by 2050, African states have increasingly pushed for enhanced representation at international institutions such as the UN..However, President Bio also noted that "Africa wants the veto abolished. However, if UN member states wish to retain the veto, it must be extended to all new permanent members as a matter of justice.".The power of veto, held by the five permanent members of the UNSC-France, the United States, the United Kingdom, Russia, and China–enables a nation to reject a proposed resolution, thus making each of the permanent Security Council members 'kingmakers' as they are able to veto any resolution which goes against their national interests..For example, on April 18th the United States vetoed a draft resolution to admit Palestine as a full member of the United Nations, while on April 24th Russia vetoed a draft resolution introduced by the United States and Japan seeking to uphold the nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament regime which would extend to outer space..Thus, the power of veto is seen by many political observers as a hindrance to legitimate negotiation on global security and development issues..Outside of the five permanent members, the UNSC includes 10 non-permanent seats which are elected for a two-year term by the UN General Assembly (UNGA) and are allocated by region. Currently, Africa holds three seats which are held by Mozambique, Sierra Leone, and Algeria..Speaking at the same UNSC meeting, Dennis Francis, President of the UNGA stressed the urgent need for Security Council reform, labeling Africa's underrepresentation at the international body a "historical injustice.".So, What Now?.According to President Bio, the African Union, which is made up of 55 member states encompassing the entirety of Africa–including Morocco who rejoined the Bloc in 2017–should decide who the continent's two permanent representatives at the Security Council should be. And while African underrepresentation at international bodies is an issue that must be urgently addressed, just how exactly those two permanent member states should be elected is murky..While it is easy to refer Africa as a whole, its 54 nations contain exceptionally diverse peoples, with various languages and cultural practices. Furthermore, domestic and regional political concerns would also require examination. Currently, six African nations–Niger, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Mali, Sudan, and Gabon–are ruled by military juntas..Just below the 'coup belt' lies the Democratic Republic of the Congo which is fighting against the Rwandan and Ugandan-backed M23..To the south lies Africa's largest economy, South Africa, which also boasts the continent's highest unemployment rate of 33.5 percent. Governed by a shaky 'Government of National Unity' since the ANC lost power in June, the country continues to struggle with extreme rates of crime and corruption and has been implicated in the financing of terrorism..Thus, what parameters a nation would have to meet to be elected as Africa's permanent member to the Security Council would be compelling to see..Looking domestically, into the work of President Bio who has served as Sierra Leone's President since 2018, the news looks fairly critical. The Sierra Leone Telegraph, a local paper, has published several articles on the head of state's shortcomings, with one journalist claiming "President Julius Maada Bio is not the transformative leader he claims to be…While self-promotion is not unique to any political leader, the extent to which President Bio seems to prioritize personal accolades over genuine progress is troubling," the journalist said..Much of Bio's domestic issues stem from his perceived misuse of power, with specific reference to the sacking of the nation's Auditor-General Lara Taylor Pearce after she published an audit report which called the 'financial propriety of the Office of the President into question.'.Three years earlier, the Africanist Press, a US-based media company which reports on Sierra Leonean politics and 'grassroots African perspectives' reported on the more than $520,000 spent by President Bio and his wife Fatimah on travel costs and per diems in December 2020 alone. According to the Africanist Press, the costs were charged directly to the nation's Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF), which is generally the fund where all public monies such as taxes, tarriffs etc. are deposited..In sum, the fact that Africa requires increased representation in the United Nations is indisputable. However, how a regional body such as the African Union would go about selecting members for the two proposed permanent seats in the Security Council is something that would need to be examined.