Address Delivered by President Nelson Mandela At the Kosovo, Africa and Humanitarian Intervention Conference

In an address to the Kosovo, Africa and Humanitarian Intervention Conference, President Nelson Mandela highlights a "disparity of treatment" in how the international community responds to crises in different regions. He contrasts the readiness of the international community to intervene and commit resources to Kosovo with the failure to act during the genocide in Rwanda and the lack of promised support for peacekeeping in Sierra Leone. Mandela emphasizes that the lessons from the Independent International Commission on Kosovo should help advance dialogue on conflict resolution and calls for the global village to share concern for human suffering regardless of geography. He concludes by citing the Burundi peace process as a positive example of renewed international interest in African stability and reconstruction.

• President Mandela identifies a significant disparity in the international community's willingness to intervene in conflicts, noting that while there was a readiness to commit resources to the reconstruction of Kosovar society, there has been a "relative neglect of Africa" in similar matters.
• The document cites specific failures of international support in Africa, including the failure to end the genocide in Rwanda and the lack of promised weaponry, funding, communications, and intelligence from Western powers for Nigerian troops operating under an Ecomog peacekeeping mandate in Sierra Leone.
• Mandela argues that the dynamics that caused the genocide in Rwanda continue to influence ongoing conflicts in Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
• The speaker views the Burundi peace process and the willingness of Western leaders to assist in rebuilding the Burundi economy as encouraging signs of a renewed international interest in African affairs.

APA

Mandela, N. (2000). Address Delivered by President Nelson Mandela At the Kosovo, Africa and Humanitarian Intervention Conference. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Address-Delivered-at-Kosovo-Seminar-by-Nelson-Mandela_FINAL-090713.pdf

Chicago

Mandela, Nelson. Address Delivered by President Nelson Mandela At the Kosovo, Africa and Humanitarian Intervention Conference. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2000. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Address-Delivered-at-Kosovo-Seminar-by-Nelson-Mandela_FINAL-090713.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Mandela |first1=Nelson |title=Address Delivered by President Nelson Mandela At the Kosovo, Africa and Humanitarian Intervention Conference |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=25 August 2000 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Address-Delivered-at-Kosovo-Seminar-by-Nelson-Mandela_FINAL-090713.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{mandela2000address, author = {Mandela, Nelson}, title = {{Address Delivered by President Nelson Mandela At the Kosovo, Africa and Humanitarian Intervention Conference}}, publisher = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2000}, month = aug, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Address-Delivered-at-Kosovo-Seminar-by-Nelson-Mandela_FINAL-090713.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }