UN General Assembly
1977

236. In the opinion of my delegation it is urgently necessary that the present requirements concerning human rights, fundamental and legitimate as they are, take account of the indispensable pre-condition of their attainment: respect for the sovereign right of nations and organized human societies, respect for the right of peoples to self-determination and their right to lead in their own countries a life in conformity with their aspirations. 237. These are the prophetic words of Lieutenant-Colonel Seyni Kountche, President of the Supreme Military Council and Chief of State: "Africa has become the pawn of the great Powers. It is, so to speak, the chosen ground for all kinds of military manoeuvres. It is imperative that we prevent its being transformed into an immense battlefield to which the richest will come to drop their surplus bombs on the innocent heads of our already deprived peoples."