Algeria and Sierra Leone have been voted into United Nations Security Council (UNSC), winning a term of two years each to represent Africa on the UN’s most powerful organ.
The two countries were voted for at the UN General Assembly on Tuesday to fill positions in the non-permanent member category for the 15-member council.Their terms begin on January 1, 2024, and will replace Ghana and Gabon, respectively, in a rotational allocation of seats.
The UNSC, one of six organs of the UN, has the most significant task, that of maintaining international peace and security.
The council consists of five countries with permanent status: China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Together, they are known as the P5 and each possess veto power over resolutions.
The remaining 10 members are elected to serve non-consecutive two-year terms without the power of veto. These seats are allocated per region, with Africa currently occupied by Kenya, Ghana, and Gabon.
During the recent election, only the seats held by Ghana and Gabon were up for replacement. The newly elected members are Belarus, Guyana, the Republic of Korea, and Slovenia.
In May 2022, Sierra Leone initiated its bid for a seat on the UNSC in order to gain support from regional powers. Nigeria, which had also expressed interest, withdrew with the mediation of the West African bloc, Ecowas.
Sierra Leone later received endorsements from the African Union and Algeria. Sierra Leone previously served on the UNSC from 1970 to 1971, having joined the UN in 1961.
President Julius Maada Bio described the bid as a significant step towards promoting and maintaining global peace, utilizing the country’s experience with civil war to contribute to peace efforts worldwide.
Sierra Leone currently chairs the African Union’s Committee of Ten (C-10), responsible for negotiating Africa’s stance on UNSC reform. Other committee members include Kenya, Equatorial Guinea, the Republic of the Congo, Namibia, Zambia, Libya, Algeria, Senegal, and Uganda.
Africa aims to secure two permanent seats and two additional non-permanent seats in the council, as outlined in the Ezulwini Consensus and Sirte Declaration, also known as the African Common Position.