Briefing by the ICRC on its activities and the humanitarian situation in Africa
Briefing by the ICRC on its activities and the humanitarian situation in Africa
Date | 9 October 2023
Tomorrow (10 October), the African Union (AU) Peace and Security Council (PSC) is expected to convene its 1178th session to receive annual briefing from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) on its activities and the humanitarian situation in Africa.
Following opening remarks by Daniel Owassa, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Congo and PSC Chairperson for the month, Bankole Adeoye, Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security (PAPS) is expected to deliver a statement highlighting the status of cooperation between the AU and the ICRC. Patrick Youssef, Africa Regional Director for the ICRC is expected to deliver a briefing on ICRC’s activities in Africa and the challenges related to humanitarian aspects of crisis and conflict situations on the continent.
Tomorrow’s briefing forms part of the annual briefing of the ICRC to the PSC which has been taking place since the first such briefing at the 99th session of the PSC in November 2007. The last time the ICRC briefed the PSC was at the 1081st session of the PSC convened in May 2022. One of the key decisions adopted at the session was the request made for the AU Commission to work with relevant humanitarian partners including the ICRC, for the urgent preparation of ‘a detailed report on the data, registration and documentation of vulnerable populations in Africa’. As has been the case in such past briefings of the ICRC, tomorrow’s briefing, apart from providing update on the follow up on last year’s briefing, serves to provide update both on ICRC’s activities and pertinent humanitarian issues of pressing concern at the time of the briefing.
There are several ongoing humanitarian crises in Africa caused by the devastating impacts of violent conflicts of various types and political instabilities taking different forms including those involving unconstitutional Changes of government in countries like the Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic (CAR), Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Ethiopia, Niger, Nigeria, Mali, Somalia, South Sudan, and Sudan, among others. On the other hand, climate change, in particular floods and droughts, have adversely impacted food security and livelihoods for millions of people on the continent, for instance in Southern Africa, the Horn of Africa and the Sahel regions of Africa. The COVID-19 pandemic has also had a significant impact on the continent, exacerbating existing challenges and creating new ones.
It is against this backdrop of a complex humanitarian situation on the continent (including a recent earthquake in Morocco that affected thousands of people and devastating floods in Libya, which killed over 25,000 people) that tomorrow’s session is taking place. Apart from providing data and analysis on the enormity and nature of the humanitarian crises in these various conflict and crisis settings, tomorrow’s briefing is also expected to address the increasing constraint faced in humanitarian access. Similar to the worldwide trend in the rise in the number of forced displacements which registered a record 119 million people in 2022, Africa has witnessed a spike in the number of internally and externally displaced people. This trend has continued into 2023.
As a means of examining the extent of humanitarian crises in specific country/region situations, it may also interest the PSC to hear about efforts being deployed and challenges being experienced by the ICRC and other relevant humanitarian actors in some of the pressing crises at country and regional levels. One such situation which warrants PSC’s increased attention is the humanitarian situation in Sudan, which is now considered to be the world’s fast evolving displacement and other humanitarian crises. As emphasised in Amani Africa’s briefing to the PSC’s 1176th session, in less than six months, the conflict in Sudan has forcibly displaced nearly six million people, both internally and outside of the country. Some of the latest news emerging from Sudan further indicate that civilians continue to bear the brunt of much of the violence and the consequences of this war. The number of people killed as a consequence of this war has now reached over 9000, much of it a result of indiscriminate attacks and targeting of civilians. In addition to shortage of food and other basic necessities, particularly in Khartoum and east Darfur, there is also reportedly increasing incidences of looting of aid items for sale at shops, leaving the most vulnerable communities without the necessary assistance.
Another significant aspect of the war in Sudan which the PSC may wish to receive some reflections on is the attack on civilian objects which both parties to the conflict have been accused of. According to a statement made by OCHA’s humanitarian coordinator on 05 October, not only are conflicting parties using civilian facilities such as schools for military purposes and exposing civilians sheltered there to the risk of being caught in the crossfire, there have also been cases of damage to pumps that supply water to camps hosting displaced people. These only form part of the larger trend of attacks against public infrastructure including hospitals, schools, water and electricity installations and places of worship, that has been ongoing since the outbreak of the conflict.
Of no less pressing concern in Sudan is the enormous impediments to humanitarian access facing both people in need of assistance and humanitarian actors. According to the UN, humanitarian actors were able to reach only 19% of the people who are in need of emergency humanitarian assistance.
Beyond the recent humanitarian crises in Sudan, the protracted humanitarian situation in the DRC also deserves attention. In the first half of 2023 alone, the surge in violence in eastern DRC has led to the displacement of nearly 1 million people, according to the displacement tracking matrix of IOM. Ituri and Kivu, two of the most affected provinces of eastern DRC are host to about 5.4 million of the total 6.1 million displaced people in the country. It is further estimated that in addition to the high displacement rate, 26 million people across the country require humanitarian assistance, majority of which are facing acute food insecurity. This grim picture is exacerbated by continuing reports of attacks against displacement camp sites, claiming the lives of hundreds of people.
The Sahel region is another one of the complex humanitarian challenges being faced in the continent. Frustrated with persistent conflicts involving terrorism, unstable political transitions and weak governance structures as well as extreme weather patterns involving frequent droughts, floods and land degradation, countries in the Sahel region are struggling to effectively address the humanitarian needs of their populations. According to the UNOCHA, out of the overall estimated population of 109 million people in the Sahel region, 34.5 percent are in need of humanitarian assistance and protection. Displacement rates continue to increase with instability showing no improvement in the region. As of July 2023, the number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the region is estimated to have reached 5.9 million while the number of refugees has reached 1.5 million by August 2023. The two countries contributing most to the displacement rate are Burkina Faso and Nigeria hosting 2.1 million and 2.2 million IDPs respectively. The humanitarian crisis in the Sahel is further compounded by recurrent outbreak of communicable diseases such as cholera, measles and meningitis.
Aside from shading some light on some of these country/region specific situations, the briefing tomorrow could also present updates on the request from the PSC to the AUC on the finalization of the AU Convention Governing the Specific Aspects of Statelessness in Africa. It is also expected that the briefing will give insights to the situation of migrants and refugees in Libya and give recommendations for enhanced regional cooperation and solutions which would place human rights and the dignity of migrants and refugees front and centre. The session may also reflect on the follow up on the implementation of the Post-Malabo Plan of Action 2023 – 2032. In this respect, the ICRC and PSC may explore the possibility of using the plan of action for enhanced collaboration in the mobilization of effective humanitarian action on the Continent.
The expected outcome of the session is a communiqué. The PSC may highlight the need for further strengthening humanitarian action in the continent, especially on effective measures for early warning, conflict prevention, management, resolution and post-conflict recovery, reconstruction and peacebuilding. The PSC may also urge parties to armed conflicts to respect and abide by their responsibilities under customary international humanitarian law in the conduct of their hostilities and to remove all barriers which impede access to humanitarian assistance. It may further commend the ICRC and other humanitarian actors for the efforts deployed to manage humanitarian crises in most affected parts of the continent such as Sudan, DRC, the Sahel region and others. In the light of the fact that the war in Sudan has created the world’s fast evolving displacement and other humanitarian crises, the PSC may express its grave concern over the alarming scale of the displacement and humanitarian crises in Sudan. In this respect, the PSC may call on the warring parties to immediately desist from targeting civilians and civilian infrastructures and the resort to indiscriminate attacks. To fulfil its responsibility under the principle of non-indifference and take concrete steps, the PSC may, as proposed during its 29 September session, decide to establish a taskforce dedicated to the monitoring, documenting and reporting on the humanitarian situation and protection of civilians in Sudan as critical measure for giving hearing to civilians caught up in the cross fire and discouraging the warring parties from both continuing with targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure and use of indiscriminate attacks and impeding humanitarian access. The PSC may similarly express continuing concern over the protracted humanitarian crises in Eastern DRC and the Sahel, which continue to deteriorate during the past year as a result of resurgence of violent conflicts. In regard to Eastern DRC, the PSC may, apart from calling on warring parties to respect human rights and international humanitarian law, urge that the forces deployed in Eastern DRC including those under the East African Community give particular attention to protection of civilians, including facilitation of humanitarian access.
QUADRIPARTITE MEETING OF THE CHIEFS OF DEFENSE ON COORDINATION AND HARMONIZATION OF REGIONAL PEACE INITIATIVES IN EASTERN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO OF THE EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY, ECONOMIC COMMUNITY OF CENTRAL AFRICAN STATES, INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON THE GREAT LAKES REGION, AND SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY, UNDER THE AUSPICES OF THE AFRICAN UNION
https://amaniafrica-et.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/6-OCTOBER-2023-SADC_EAC-AU.pdf
Monthly Digest on The African Union Peace And Security Council - August 2023
Monthly Digest on The African Union Peace And Security Council - August 2023
Date | August 2023
In August, Burundi was the Chair of the African Union (AU) Peace and Security Council (PSC). According to the Provisional Program of Work (PPoW), adopted in July, the PSC was scheduled to hold six sessions, which at the beginning of the month increased to eight (See Amani’s analysis of the PPoW). During the month, the PSC convened a total of five sessions. Of these, two sessions were on thematic issues and three sessions focused on country-specific situations. Additionally, the PSC also convened the 3rd Annual Consultative Meeting with the RECs/RMs Policy Organs. All of these sessions were conducted at the ambassadorial level.
Annual Informal Joint Seminar and Annual Joint Consultative Meeting of the AU Peace and Security Council and the UN Security Council
Annual Informal Joint Seminar and Annual Joint Consultative Meeting of the AU Peace and Security Council and the UN Security Council
Date | 4 October 2023
8th informal seminar
Tomorrow (5 October) the African Union (AU) Peace and Security Council (PSC) and the United Nations (UN) Security Council (UNSC) will hold their 8th annual informal joint seminar, ahead of the 17th annual consultative meeting taking place on 6 October.
Ahead of the consultative meeting, consistent with established practice, the PSC initiated the draft joint communique. The PSC Committee of Experts (CoE) and its UNSC counterparts, the Ad hoc working group of the UNSC made up of experts of UNSC members held consultations in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on 3 and 4 October 2023 to work on the draft joint communique.
8th Annual Informal Joint Seminar
The 8th annual informal seminar is expected to commence with opening statements from the co-chairs of the session, the PSC Chairperson, Daniel Owassa, the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Congo to the AU, and the President of the UNSC, Sérgio França Danese, Permanent Representative of Brazil to the UN. Introductory remarks will also be given by Bankole Adeoye, the AU Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security (PAPS), and Parfait Onanga-Anyanga, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General to the AU and Head of the UN Office to the AU (UNOAU).
This year’s informal seminar has three agenda items. The first two initially proposed by the PSC and agreed to were financing of AU-led peace support operations (AU-led PSOs) and enhancing cooperation between the AUPSC and the UNSC with a focus on working Methods. On the proposal of the UNSC, a third agenda item, namely youth, peace and security, was added. Of these, the agenda that is expected to receive particular attention including for purposes of the joint communique is the one of financing.
On financing of AU-led PSOs, the speakers from the side of the PSC are Uganda, South Africa, Cameroon and Ghana with the UNSC side being Ghana and United Arab Emirates (UAE). Despite the acknowledgment of ‘the adequate, predictable and sustainable financing’ of AU-led PSOs through five UNSC Resolutions and eight presidential statements adopted/issued since 2008, the journey towards agreement on and adoption of a resolution authorizing in principle the use of UN assessed contribution has been slow. Since 2022, a new window of opportunity has emerged driven by various factors including changes in the peace and security dynamics in Africa and the dynamics within the UNSC. (see Amani Africa’s special research report).
This year has seen several positive developments in this regard, including the adoption of the ‘African consensus paper on predictable, adequate, and sustainable financing for African Union peace and security activities’ by the AU Assembly’s 36th Ordinary Session and the release of the UN Secretary General’s report on the Implementation of UNSC resolutions 2320(2016) and 2378(2017) on 1 May 2023 as requested by the UNSC in August 2022. Furthermore, this year alone, the PSC dedicated two ministerial sessions (1153rd and 1175th) to discuss the financing of AU-led PSOs. Similarly, the UNSC convened a session on 25 May to consider the UN Secretary General’s (UNSG) Report released on 1 May.
Informed by the challenges of predictable financing affecting the effective functioning of the AU Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) and the various regional operations initiated at sub-regional levels including the South African Development Community (SADC) Mission to Mozambique (SAMIM) and the deployment by the East African Community (EAC) to Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the AU PSC during its session on 12 May 2023 under Uganda’s chairship lifted the September 2019 decision suspending the engagement of the African three elected members of the UNSC (A3) for negotiating a framework resolution on use of UN assessed contributions and authorized the A3 to ‘resume consultations with the relevant stakeholders towards the adoption of a UNSC resolution on financing AU-led PSOs.’ The PSC reiterated this authorization and tasked the AU Commission to work with the A3 in developing the resolution for its adoption before the end of 2023. Additionally, during its recent 1175th session, the PSC urged the AU Commission to complete the AU-UN Joint Planning Guidelines for AU-led PSOs. The guidelines aim to create a structure for unified planning, decision-making, and collaboration between the AU and the UN in relation to UN assistance for AU-led PSOs.
In addition to the development of the AU consensus paper and the Secretary General’s Report, a notable and significant shift has occurred in the stance of the US, whose objection and threat led to the suspension of the earlier process towards the adoption of a resolution. The UNSC briefing on 25 May 2023 signalled that there is generally wide support in the UNSC for the proposed resolution on the use of UN assessed contribution. Yet, it also highlighted that there are outstanding issues requiring further negotiations to achieve the adoption of the resolution. Some UNSC members including among the P5 indicated the importance of the AU clearly outlining its financial sharing plan, warning that any misinterpretation could hinder progress. Some others indicated their expectation of further clarification about fiduciary transparency, reporting and accountability including with respect to General Assembly’s 5th Committee processes and on compliance with human rights and international humanitarian law, while others emphasized decision-making, oversight and command and control of the missions financed from UN assessed contributions. There is an expectation that the AU side works on negotiating positions with specific proposals that help achieve consensus on the outstanding issues, particularly with respect to financial burden sharing.
Tomorrow’s informal seminar provides a unique opportunity for exploring opportunities for achieving consensus on the outstanding issues including based on the specific pathways identified in the UNSG’s May 2023 report. As such, a practical option would be to welcome the UNSG’s report and the proposals outlined therein as the basis for taking the negotiations forward.
17th Annual Joint Consultative Meeting
The following day, on 6 October, the PSC and members of the UNSC will hold their 17th joint consultative meeting. The first of the conflict specific agenda items of the consultative meeting is the conflict in Sudan. In this respect, Djibouti and Tunisia take the lead in delivering intervention from the side of the PSC, with Japan, Ghana, Russia and the United Kingdom (UK) taking lead on UNSC’s side.
On the situation in Sudan, violent clashes between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have been ongoing since 15 April. The war, which is about six months, is causing a humanitarian crisis of epic proportions, according to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). On the 28 September humanitarian update, OCHA estimated that 5.4 million people have fled their homes since the eruption of the conflict. As Amani Africa pointed out in its briefing to the PSC on 29 September, the response to the situation leaves a lot to be desired. For example, humanitarian actors are able to reach only 19 percent of the 18 million people in need of emergency humanitarian assistance.
There is also the issue of fragmentation of initiatives for peace making in Sudan. In light of this, the communique of the 1156th session emphasized the need for a single, inclusive, and consolidated peace process for Sudan under the joint auspices of the AU, IGAD, LAS, and UN, along with their partners. Therefore, the joint consultation provides an opportunity for the two Councils to discuss on how to enhance their efforts towards establishing a more inclusive and consolidated peace process. The consultative meeting may thus echo the 1156th session of the PSC on the need for more coordination and streamlining of the efforts for peace in Sudan.
On the situation in the Sahel region, Ghana, Russia, Malta and Switzerland will lead the intervention on the part of the UNSC and Nigeria, Ghana, Morocco and Cameroon will take the lead in the intervention on the part of the PSC. The two main areas of concern that may receive attention are the deteriorating security situation with the worsening of conflicts involving terrorist groups and their attacks and the expansion of unconstitutional changes of government (UCG) in the region. According to UN records, 1,814 incidents of terrorist attacks took place in the Sahel region only in the period from 1st January to 30th June 2023. The resulting fatalities from these attacks were reportedly 4,593. In the face of such a sustained spike in terrorism and complex political dynamics, they may also highlight the challenges that may arise from the withdrawal of the UN Mission in Mali (MINUSMA). In this respect, they may emphasize close coordination on planning the withdrawal and consider the regional response to minimize the impact of the withdrawal while also underscoring the need for effective political, socio-economic, development and humanitarian strategy tailored to addressing the underlying causes and drivers of insecurity and UCG in the Sahel.
On Somalia and ATMIS, Djibouti, Burundi, Uganda, Zimbabwe deliver the interventions on the side of the PSC and UK, UAE, Japan, Mozambique will do so on the side of the UNSC. On the Situation in Somalia, besides the rising tension in Las Anod, a disputed area between Puntland and Somaliland, the discussion of the two Councils is expected to focus principally on the drawdown of ATMIS. In line with the planned timeline for transferring responsibility from ATMIS to Somalia Security Forces (SSF) and ultimately withdrawing ATMIS by December 2024, the second stage of troop reduction was scheduled to occur by the end of September 2023. It was anticipated that approximately 3,000 ATMIS troops would be withdrawn during this phase.
However, a letter from Somalia’s national security adviser, submitted to the President of the UNSC on 22 September, states that a request has been made for a 90-day extension in the second phase of the troop pull-out plan. The 1175th session of the PSC held on 23 September, acknowledged “the request by the Federal Government of Somalia to the current President of the UN Security Council, copied to the AU Commission, requesting a technical pause of three months for the phase 2 drawdown of ATMIS troops scheduled for 30 September 2023”. Subsequently, the PSC in its session on 30 September endorsed the request for the pause while underscoring the need for addressing the financial and logistical implications of the pause. Understandably, the implication of this pause together with the earlier extension of the first drawdown on the withdrawal timeline also deserves attention. In this respect, the PSC and UNSC may call on the need for mobilizing further financial resources to enable ATMIS to effectively carry out its mission for meeting the timelines for the incremental transfer of responsibility for Somalia authorities.
On the Situation in the DRC, Tanzania, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe will take the lead in making interventions on the side of the PSC and Brazil, China, France and Gabon will lead in making interventions on the part of the UNSC. On this situation, key issues that may be central to the discussions at the coming consultative meeting include the continuing attacks by armed groups such groups (as the March 23 Movement (M23), the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR)), attacks on the UN Mission in DRC, the status of international and regional efforts deployed to manage the conflict in eastern DRC; and the upcoming national elections in the country. With respect to the upcoming general elections, while the ongoing preparation for the conduct of the elections at the scheduled time has been a positive step, the heightened political tensions that have accompanied these efforts pose a serious concern. As noted in some details in the 21 September 2023 UN Secretary General’s report (S/2023/691), not only is the election already perceived to be marred with the absence of transparency and inclusivity, but there have also been cases of intimidation, attacks and even killing of representatives and members of opposition political parties.
Regarding the status of efforts deployed through the relevant international and regional mechanisms, the focus may be on the transition plan of the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the DRC (MONUSCO) and on the deployment of forces by the EAC and the SADC. In this respect, the PSC and the UNSC may call for more coordination building on the inter-regional coordination summit held in Luanda, Angola.
In addition to discussing the implications of these developments, the coming consultative meeting may also briefly reflect on the continuing volatile nature of the security situation in North Kivu and Ituri, the two provinces in eastern DRC that have for long been the centre for armed insurgencies and conflict among various armed actors. The humanitarian suffering experienced in these specific areas may also gain some attention. Aside from civilian casualties resulting from attacks perpetrated specifically by the armed groups mentioned above, the rate of displacement in these regions has continued to show increase. Out of 6.1 million people that are displaced within the country, 5.4 million are located in the Ituri and North and South Kivu provinces.
It is expected that the two Councils will adopt a joint communique considering that there are no expectations for major disagreement on any of the agenda items. In the past couple of years, the joint communiqués were adopted in a short period indicating negotiations on their contents have been less challenging as compared to earlier years, including 2016 and 2017 when the adoption of joint communiqués were delayed and in 2019, when an outcome document could not be adopted altogether. As mentioned above, the PSC CoE and the UNSC Working Group have already started meetings on 03 and 04 October to prepare for the consultative meeting and also to negotiate the terms of an outcome document.
Amani Africa appeals to the Peace and Security Council to uphold the principle of non-indifference by taking concrete measures in the face of the worsening humanitarian crises including in Sudan
Amani Africa appeals to the Peace and Security Council to uphold the principle of non-indifference by taking concrete measures in the face of the worsening humanitarian crises including in Sudan
Date | 2 October 2023
Solomon Ayele Dersso, PhD
Founding Director, Amani Africa
Your excellency Ambassador Churchil Monono, Chairperson of the Peace and Security Council for the Month of September 2023
Your excellencies, members of the Peace and Security Council
We at Amani Africa Media and Research Services have the pleasure of addressing this premier peace and security decision-making body of our Union on this timely and pressing theme.
The Malabo Extraordinary Summit is a key milestone in Africa’s long journey towards putting in place mechanisms for effectively responding to and addressing humanitarian crises on the continent since the OAU’s 1969 Convention Governing Specific Aspects of the Refugee Problems in Africa.
With the establishment of the African Humanitarian Agency, the Summit enabled the AU to be equipped with the institutional arrangement that helps facilitate in the implementation of the Union’s normative and policy instruments from the 1969 Refugee Convention to the Kampala Convention on the Protection of IDPs.
Excellencies,
One of the unique attributes of the AU is the fact that it is founded on the principle of non-indifference. As an expression of the African world view ‘I am because you are’, Ubuntu, this principle Commits the African Union to come to the protection of people who are caught up in humanitarian crises and not to stand by and watch as they endure massacre, forced displacement and starvation.
The outcomes of the Malabo Summit including the African Humanitarian Agency are critical to giving expression in practical terms to this AU’s founding principle of non-indifference. The implication of this is that the AU, including through the leadership of the PSC, will and should be the first to engage in mobilizing responses to the needs of people caught up in humanitarian crises.
While part of the provision of response to humanitarian needs involves contributing to the raising of the funds and mobilizing humanitarian assistance required to meet such needs on the continent, AU’s role including through the African Humanitarian Agency will not primarily be to become the main funder and provider of humanitarian assistance on the continent.
Considering the well-developed capacities and instruments at the disposal of various humanitarian actors including UN humanitarian agencies like the UNHCR or ICRC, AU’s comparative advantage, on account of its unique attributes, lies mobilizing solidarity, political action, coordination and diplomacy. AU’s role thus first relates to coordination of humanitarian action for which the AU, through the African Humanitarian Agency, needs to engage in the tracking of the humanitarian situation and the collection of data on trends in and dynamics of the humanitarian situation on the continent. This additionally entails the identification of the needs of and mobilization of support to countries and communities in their effort to mitigate and respond to humanitarian crises.
The Second concerns the creation of space and the provision of support for mobilization of public opinion and action on humanitarian needs and for the organization and effective functioning of local humanitarian actors. As part of giving recognition to the enormous burden that host communities and countries bear as first responders, this should not only tap into the role of African non-state actors but also support the development and organization of indigenous entities engaged in supporting humanitarian action.
Third and perhaps the most significant role and contribution that is particularly befitting to the attributes of the AU involves humanitarian diplomacy. Considering its diplomatic and political profile, the AU is best placed to use the African Humanitarian Agency as the vehicle for mobilizing and engaging in humanitarian diplomacy. With the Agency, the AU has come to have a much-needed tool, as part of its peace and security and humanitarian action toolbox, critical to effectively developing AU’s capacity in humanitarian diplomacy.
It is therefore Amani Africa’s submission that particular attention is given in the building AU’s role in humanitarian action to humanitarian diplomacy. AU’s humanitarian diplomacy is best mobilized and organized around, among others,
- advocating for the mobilization of support for people in humanitarian crisis and the recognition and support of national and local humanitarian actors in their effort to support those affected by humanitarian crises;
- the deployment of diplomatic missions for facilitating unhindered humanitarian access;
- securing guarantee from conflict parties for safe, free and voluntary passage for civilians in conflict settings to areas where they can access assistance; and
- promoting respect for and full cooperation by conflict parties with humanitarian actors;
- monitor and advocate for compliance with human rights and international humanitarian law standards as well as humanitarian principles;
Excellencies and distinguished participants,
When Africa faced major humanitarian crises as a result of conflicts and insecurity in the 1990s, the Organization of African Unity (OAU) pointed out in the Declaration Establishing the OAU mechanism on Conflict Prevention, Management and Resolution that ‘conflicts have forced millions of our people, including women and children, into a drifting life as refugees and internally displaced persons, deprived of their means of livelihood, human dignity and hope’. These same powerful words are restated in the preamble to the PSC protocol.
In recent years, we have unfortunately experienced continuing deterioration in the humanitarian situation on the continent. The refugee and displacement crisis on our continent is currently at record high. As a result, today there are more people on our continent today than in the 1990s ‘who are forced into a drifting life as refugees and IDPs, deprived of their dignity and hope’.
The number of people forcibly displaced, mostly as a result of war and conflicts, have reached more than 40 million. This, your excellencies, is more than double the number of forcibly displaced people in 2016.
That such a staggering number of people on our continent are ‘forced to live a drifting life as refuges and IDPs deprived of their dignity and hope’ far more than in the 1990s is an indictment for all of us and particularly the AU and this august body.
In the light of the continually deteriorating humanitarian situation on the continent and in order to avail the PSC a mechanism for a more effective engagement in humanitarian action, it is therefore our submission that the PSC establishes an African platform on humanitarian action along the lines of the African Platform on Children Affected by Conflict – this platform on humanitarian action like the one on Children can be co-chaired by PSC member(s) that champion(s) this theme, interested members of the PSC, PAPS department and technical entities like UNHCR and research organizations like Amani Africa that provide the technical backstopping.
The urgency for humanitarian action in Sudan
Currently, the most heart wrenching manifestation of the gravity of the forced displacement crisis on the continent is the raging war in Sudan. The humanitarian situation has become so concerning so much so that the UN humanitarian chief, Martin Griffith, who did not mince his words in stating that the war in Sudan is fuelling a humanitarian emergency of epic proportions, sounded the alarm with the extraordinary warning that ‘war and hunger could destroy Sudan.’
Excellencies,
On the 15th day of this month, the war in Sudan marked its fifth months. During this period, nearly six million people have been forcibly displaced, with one million of them crossing into neighbouring countries as refugees and asylum seekers and the remaining displaced internally.
This means that this war forcibly displaced over a million people every month.
One of the world’s fast-growing displacement crises is also unfortunately accompanied by other no less severe humanitarian crisis including but not limited to
- severe challenges to humanitarian access (humanitarian actors are able to reach only 19 percent of the 18 million people in need of humanitarian assistance) and
- other forms of humanitarian emergencies including complete breakdown of the health system in Sudan, with nearly 80 percent of health services not functioning as a result of the indiscriminate attacks that warring parties perpetrated on civilian infrastructure in the country and with more than 6 million including hundreds of thousands of children facing emergency levels of acute food insecurity.
Excellencies,
As I conclude, I would like to state that the principle of non-indifference, which is the golden standard for the effective functioning of AU’s role in peace and security and humanitarian action, requires this august body not to be a bystander as Sudan faces the risk of not only humanitarian disaster but also collapse.
As Amani Africa we therefore submit that the PSC establishes a taskforce for monitoring, documenting and reporting on the humanitarian situation and protection of civilians in Sudan as well as for engaging in humanitarian diplomacy efforts focusing on
- the mobilization of support from within the continent in expression of solidarity with the people of Sudan;
- Ensuring that the conflict parties commit to and unconditionally stop indiscriminate attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure;
- securing guarantee from conflict parties to ensure for safe, free and voluntary passage for civilians in conflict settings to areas where they can access assistance; and
- promoting respect for and full cooperation by conflict parties with humanitarian actors
- Ensuring compliance with human rights and international humanitarian law standards.
Thank you for your attention!
