Conflicts in Africa cannot be solved through military solutions and peace and security on the continent “demands a proactive preventative” approach, according to the UN’s Special Representative to the African Union. Parfait Onanga-Anyanga was speaking at a Security Council meeting focused on the key issues faced by Africa and cooperation between the UN and the African Union (AU) – a continental organisation comprising 55 African Member States. He warned that “concerns remain in some parts of the continent about the number and complexity of conflicts.”. He said these conflicts were often worsened by “weak or ineffective State authority, violence extremism conducive to terrorist activities, the inequitable management of natural resources, organized crime, the impact of climate change, acute food insecurity and, in some cases, denial of fundamental human rights.”. Conflicts in the Horn of Africa, Sudan, South Sudan and the Great Lakes region – including the Democratic Republic of the Congo – have caused widespread displacement and multiple humanitarian emergencies.
Africa needs conflict prevention as the continent faces unprecedented threats | UN News
