Tunis — President Kaïs Saïed on Tuesday evening received a phone call from South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, according to a statement from the Tunisian Presidency.

At the outset of the call, the President of the Republic reaffirmed his steadfast stance that Africa belongs to Africans.

He recalled the suffering endured by African peoples over centuries, lamenting that some had historically--and, unfortunately, still today, viewed Africans as subhuman.

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He referenced the abhorrent practice of displaying Africans in zoo cages in the past and condemned modern-day exploitation, including organ trafficking.

The Head of State also invoked the vision of Africa's founding fathers, such as Habib Bourguiba, Kwame Nkrumah, Modibo Keïta and later leaders like Nelson Mandela and Thomas Sankara, who dreamed of unity upon establishing the Organisation of African Unity in 1963.

He paid tribute to pivotal liberation struggles, including the Soweto Uprising, as symbols of resistance against slavery and colonialism.

President Kais Saïed stressed every African's right to a dignified life in their homeland, emphasising that the continent, despite its vast wealth, has been plagued by foreign interference, wars, famine, and resource plundering.

"The time has come to build a new Africa together, despite unprecedented global challenges," he declared.

He further argued that today's humanistic values are outpacing classical international norms, as a shared moral framework emerges globally, rendering outdated systems illegitimate.

The President of the Republic praised South Africa's stance against the genocide of the Palestinian people, asserting that "just as Africa belongs to Africans, all of Palestine belongs to Palestinians, the rightful owners of the land. This right will never expire."

Concluding the call, President Kais Saïed extended an official invitation to President Ramaphosa to visit Tunisia.