Africans at UN expected to criticise Wilson

The Herald, 1 November, 1965

NEW YORK. – African delegates to the United Nations were expected to voice strong objections tomorrow to the agreement between Britain and Rhodesia which ended the immediate threat of a unilateral declaration of independence, diplomatic observers reported.

The General Assembly’s Trusteeship Committee was likely to move quickly on a resolution it has been considering which would call on Britain to use force if necessary to bring Rhodesia to independence under African majority rule.

It was virtually certain of passage and was expected to win approval in the General Assembly, though without the massive 107-to-two majority of a previous General Assembly resolution opposing a unilateral declaration of independence. African delegates were still awaiting full details of the declarations in Salisbury by the British Prime Minister, Mr Wilson, and declined any immediate comment on Press reports of them.

But diplomatic observers said there was little doubt that they would sharply criticise Mr Wilson’s statement that Britain would not use force in the dispute and that African majority rule was not possible “today or tomorrow.”

LESSONS FOR TODAY

African delegates at the United Nations strongly objected to any agreements between Britain and Rhodesia that did not adequately address issues of racial injustice and self-determination for black Africans.

Their stance reflected a broader commitment among newly independent African nations to oppose colonialism and advocate for human rights on an international stage.

The situation in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) was particularly contentious due to its unrecognised unilateral declaration of independence from Britain on November 11, 1965. This declaration was made by the white-minority government led by Ian Smith, which sought to maintain white supremacy and control over the country despite growing calls for majority rule.

African nations were increasingly vocal in international fora like the United Nations. The rise of decolonisation movements across Africa had led to a wave of newly independent states that were eager to assert their sovereignty and challenge colonial legacies.

The agreement referred to in the article likely pertains to negotiations between Britain and Rhodesia aimed at resolving tensions following the unilateral declaration of independence.