Kenyan President William Ruto has highlighted the immense cost of conflicts across Africa, estimating losses of $18 billion annually. Speaking at the high-level Extended Bureau Retreat on African Union (AU) Institutional Reforms in Nairobi yesterday, Ruto underscored how instability continues to undermine the continent’s potential.
Ruto revealed that Africa is home to 35 million internally displaced persons, 8.9 million refugees, 1.1 million asylum seekers, and 1 million stateless individuals. He further noted that between April and June 2024, there were 1,000 terrorism incidents across the continent, resulting in 4,818 deaths.
The retreat, attended by leaders from Guinea-Bissau, Ethiopia, Ghana, and the Comoros, as well as Moussa Faki, chairperson of the AU Commission, sought to accelerate reforms within the 55-member organization. The discussions focused on enhancing the AU’s ability to address the continent’s complex security challenges.
Ruto stressed the urgent need for a revitalized AU peace and security architecture, noting that the current framework is insufficient to manage Africa’s dynamic challenges. “The AU’s presence in regional hotspots is weak, fragmented, and under-resourced,” he said.
The one-day event also explored strategies to strengthen the AU’s institutional framework to better tackle pressing issues such as terrorism, displacement, and economic instability.
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