African case: MEA to bear all expenses

The ministry of external affairs (MEA) on Monday told the family of slain Congolese national Masonda Ketada Olivier that it would bear all expenses related to dispatch of the mortal remains of Olivier. MEA spokesperson Vikas Swarup on Monday said the family members thanked the Indian government for its assistance. Later, the family, accompanied by the Congolese ambassador, met the MEA official at his office.

“Continuing outreach to African community — Foreign Secretary meets a group of African students. Foreign Secretary to students: Ensuring safety and security of foreign students is an article of faith for us. Committed to welfare of our African brothers and sisters,” Mr Swarup tweeted on Monday.

Dean of African Group Head of Missions and ambassador of Eritrea Alem Tsehage Woldemariam, who had issued a strongly-worded statement seeking stringent action to guarantee safety of Africans in India, said, “Whatever we had to convey, we have done that on Africa Day. Now, it is up to the Indian government to take action on the assurances given to us.”

The issues raised by the African students in their meeting with foreign secretary Jaishankar included visa issues, problems in getting accommodation and the need for sensitising the police while dealing with them. Mr Jaishankar assured them that India shares their concerns and will take steps to address their problems.

In another development, minister of state for home Kiren Rijiju told reporters, “If a racial angle is found in any of the cases, strictest possible action will be taken.” The minister was replying to a question on whether the recent incidents of attacks on African nationals in Delhi had a racial angle. “We have taken up all the incidents seriously. Action is being taken,” he said.

Earlier on Monday, addressing delegates to the MEA’s seventh annual Heads of Mission Conference who called on him, President Pranab Mukherjee said, “It would be most unfortunate if the people of India were to dilute our long tradition of friendship with the people of Africa and the welcome we have always extended to them in our country. African students in India should have no reason to fear for their safety and security.”

“... India has had trading relations with African countries for centuries and every one of the 54 countries of Africa has a thriving Indian community doing business, industry, etc. ... We cannot allow these to be jeopardised in any way and create a bad precedent which is not the ethos, which is not part of the core values of our civilisation,” a Rashtrapati Bhavan statement quoted President Mukherjee as having told the delegation.

According to news agency reports, the President said he was happy that the MEA, in consultation with ministry of home affairs, is proactively following up on the few isolated incidents that have occurred and working closely with authorities to ensure the safety of African students in India. President Mukherjee said the bonds between the peoples of India and Africa have been forged since time immemorial.

“As a political activist, as a member of Parliament, I have noticed how close we are with each other. Almost a century ago Rabindranath Tagore wrote a beautiful poem titled Africa expressing his anguish, pathos, sense of pain on apartheid,” he said.

President Mukherjee said leaders like Gamal Abdel Nasser of Egypt and Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Jawaharlal Nehru at the Afro-Asian Conference in Bandung in 1955 and in founding the Non-aligned Movement in 1961. “Nelson Mandela was an embodiment of Gandhian principles. India led the long international struggle for the end of colonialism and apartheid in Africa,” the President said.

The President said that in 1946 the Indian government had decided to stop any trade relationship with South Africa till apartheid was not lifted. “At that time the decision was a bold decision because South Africa accounted for five per cent of total international trade with India,” he said. President Mukherjee said it was only in 1994, after the end of apartheid, that he as commerce minister restored normal trade relations with that country. “Whole of India stood in support of African leaders like Jomo Kenyatta, Julius Nyerere and Kenneth Kaunda during this freedom struggle,” he said.