AFRICA LOSES $18BN ANNUALLY TO CONFLICT — KENYAN PRESIDENT
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Kenyan President William Ruto, champion of African Union institutional reforms, said on Monday that conflicts are stifling Africa’s potential, resulting in estimated annual losses of $18 billion and displacing millions of people.
Ruto highlighted that Africa currently hosts 35 million internally displaced persons, 8.9 million refugees, 1.1 million asylum seekers, and 1 million stateless persons.
“Between April and June 2024 alone, a total of 1,000 terrorism incidents were recorded across Africa, resulting in 4,818 deaths,” he said during the high-level Extended Bureau Retreat on AU Institutional Reforms held in Nairobi, Kenya.
The day-long event brought together presidents from Guinea-Bissau, Ethiopia, Ghana, and the Comoros, as well as Moussa Faki, chairperson of the AU Commission, to accelerate reforms of the 55-member continental organisation.
Ruto stressed that the AU’s current security architecture is incapable of addressing the continent’s complex dynamics and challenges, underscoring the urgent need for revitalisation of its peace and security framework.
He also noted that the AU’s presence in regional hotspots remains weak, fragmented, and under-resourced.
The Kenyan president added that the continent’s developmental goals were being derailed by destabilising forces, reiterating that peace is key to Africa’s development.
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