[dropcap]T[/dropcap]HE African Union (AU) on Friday expressed deep concern over the complex humanitarian situations in the African continent.
The urgent call was made by the AU’s Peace and Security Council in a statement issued on Friday that followed its recent meeting that dwelt upon the state of humanitarian actions in Africa.
The council ‘expresses deep concern over the continued prevalence of complex, multifaceted and, at times, unprecedented humanitarian crises in the continent,’ an AU statement read.
The council associated the worsening security and humanitarian situations in Africa with climate change-related and public health emergences, amongst other hazards, especially in areas that are already fragile due to terrorism and violent conflicts which cause food insecurity and forced displacements.
It further expressed concern over the increasing number of vulnerable populations in Africa, notably refugees, internally displaced persons, returnees, asylum-seekers, stateless persons, missing persons and their diminishing resilience capacity.
It underlined the imperative of continental collaboration and an action-oriented approach to strengthening the resilience of these vulnerable populations.
The council further emphasized the need to address the root causes and drivers of humanitarian crises and to ensure that the Continental Early Warning System incorporates multi-hazard early warning and early action systems.
Such efforts would enable timely interventions to address the diverse humanitarian disaster risks and their potential consequences, the council said.
Meanwhile, the council commended African countries for hosting refugees in their countries, albeit with limited capacities.
It further appealed to the international community to provide adequate and flexible support to countries hosting refugees to allow them to effectively respond to the needs of the refugees taking into consideration the unpredictable nature of humanitarian needs.
The council also called on the AU Commission, working closely with member states, to expedite action in the finalization of the AU Convention Governing the Specific Aspects of Statelessness in Africa.
