By Esther Oseyiomon
The Pan-African AU Agenda 2063 Diplomatic Mission has strongly condemned the recent xenophobic attacks in South Africa, positioning its Community Peace Monitor (CPM) as a practical, technology-driven solution to prevent violence and respond swiftly to emerging crises across the continent.
The Mission described the attacks as a grave violation of African unity and a direct threat to the African Union’s “Silencing the Guns” agenda, warning that such acts of intolerance could erode ongoing peacebuilding efforts if not decisively addressed.
Speaking during an official engagement at the African Union Commission headquarters in Addis Ababa, the President of the Mission, Stephen Gbatigbi Ben-Joel, emphasised that Africa must adopt proactive and citizen-driven mechanisms to detect and stop violence before it escalates.
He identified the Community Peace Monitor (CPM) as a central pillar in that strategy, describing it as a real-time digital platform designed to strengthen early warning systems, support grassroots intelligence gathering, and enable rapid intervention by authorities.
According to him, the CPM bridges critical gaps between communities and security institutions by allowing citizens to report threats as they emerge, thereby enhancing both conflict prevention and crisis response.
“The reality is that we cannot silence the guns without addressing triggers like xenophobia through actionable solutions,” he noted, stressing that technology must now play a frontline role in safeguarding peace.
The Mission called on the African Union to take a firm and unambiguous stance against the attacks, warning that weak responses could embolden perpetrators and undermine continental stability.
It also urged South African President Cyril Ramaphosa to ensure strict enforcement of laws against those responsible, insisting that accountability is key to preventing recurrence.
Discussions with Bankole Adeoye further highlighted the need to integrate digital tools like CPM into Africa’s broader peace and security framework, ensuring that data-driven approaches guide decision-making at both national and regional levels.
The Mission maintained that achieving lasting peace in Africa requires confronting all forms of violence whether insurgency or xenophobia through coordinated, innovative, and community-based solutions.
It reaffirmed its commitment to working with stakeholders across the continent to scale the CPM platform, strengthen early warning systems, and accelerate progress toward a peaceful and secure Africa under Agenda 2063.