During the African Union summit, strengthening collaboration, advocacy and pushing stakeholders to implement key political decisions and policies is expected to end the plight of peoples’ displacement.
By Hamza Mohamed (Al Jazeera)
ADDIS ABABA Security across the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa has been beefed up as dignitaries and heads of states from across the continent gather for the annual African Union (AU) summit which kicked off on Thursday.
Metal detectors and security officers have been placed at the entrances of major hotels in the city.
This year’s summit will focus on refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs). Sub-Saharan Africa hosts more than 26 percent of the world’s 25.4 million refugees, according to UNHCR – the UN agency for refugees.
That figure has recently been rising because of ongoing crises in countries like the Central African Republic, South Sudan, Somalia, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Burundi.
According to the UNHCR, 85 percent of the refugees are in developing countries.
Three African countries – Uganda, Sudan and Ethiopia – are among the top 10 countries hosting refugees in the world.
Human rights campaigners say it is time the AU took concrete steps to address issue of refugees in Africa.
“African Union member states will not suddenly find money to give to refugees,” Achieng Akena, executive director of the Pan African Citizens Network, a civil society group that campaigns for democracy and human rights in Africa, told Al Jazeera.
“Africa needs to do better in integrating refugees and allowing them to work. Refugees, like other people, need to live a life of dignity,” Akena added.
AU passports
Refugees and IDPs are not the only topic the African leaders are discussing during the summit.
The AU will reveal the long-awaited design of a passport for all African countries. It is hoped that the passports will bring the continent one step closer to free movement of its people.
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