Insightful stories of the most pressing local, regional, and international developments brought to you by Sputnik.

Africans 'Used as Objects, Which is Against Human Rights': Expert on Western Biolabs in Africa

16:56, 10 April 2024

CC0 / /

Rasina Musallimova

Writer

April 10 marks 52 years since the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on their Destruction was signed in Moscow, Washington and London. On this occasion, Sputnik Africa spoke to an expert about the activities of Western biolabs in Africa.

Sputnik

"Africans are being used now as objects, which is against human rights," Ntsikelelo Breakfast, senior lecturer at the History and Political Studies Department at the South African Nelson Mandela University, told Sputnik Africa, commenting on the activites of Western biological laboratories in Africa.

"Why not undertake those research projects and test the findings on their own people? Why come to Africa? What are you trying to say? Basically. So there are ethical questions about the issues of human rights. [...] If research is done in good faith, why not share the findings? Even the procedure. Everything about the project," he said.

In November 2023, Russian Ambassador-at-Large Oleg Ozerov told Sputnik that Russia is worried about the United States possibly increasing its number of biological laboratories in Africa and the lack of access for Africans to the findings of this research carried out in their own nations.

The South African expert pointed out that the findings of the research conducted in these laboratories, as well as other relevant information about the research, the sites, and the participants of the studies, "must be shared."

"It's their [Africans'] right to see the findings, because if those findings are not shared, then it begs the question about the rationale behind the research. Research is not research until the findings are published, and the people who have been researched have a right to know about how the findings are reported. So, research should not be a secrecy. [...] That is not right. Because what are you hiding? Because when you report the findings, you need to report in a very accurate way," Breakfast underlined.

Opinion

What Are US Motives for Deploying Its Biolabs in Africa?

3 November 2023, 15:50

He also highlighted that "research cannot be harmful to the participants and to the country where it is carried out."

The expert emphasized that no sovereign country should permit any other nations to conduct research on its territory, of which it is unaware, adding that the nations are entitled to report those issues to special international institutions.

"African states are sovereign. [...] No states should allow any armed force to carry out research without their knowledge. [...] It's a matter of national security. It's a matter of human security," Breakfast noted.