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Kenyan President William Ruto, speaking on Monday at the AU Institutional Reforms Retreat in Nairobi, highlighted that conflicts across Africa cost the continent an estimated $18 billion annually.
Ruto noted that Africa is home to 35 million internally displaced persons, 8.9 million refugees, 1.1 million asylum seekers, and 1 million stateless individuals.
Between April and June 2024 alone, Africa recorded 1,000 terrorism incidents, resulting in 4,818 deaths, he revealed.
Addressing leaders from Guinea-Bissau, Ethiopia, Ghana, Comoros, and AU Commission Chair Moussa Faki, Ruto called for an urgent overhaul of the AU’s security framework, describing it as weak, fragmented, and under-resourced.
He emphasised the need to revitalise the AU’s peace and security architecture to tackle the continent’s complex challenges effectively.
