Kenyan President William Ruto has sounded the alarm on the devastating economic impact of ongoing conflicts in Africa, stating that the continent loses a staggering $18 billion annually due to these conflicts. Ruto, a strong advocate for African Union (AU) institutional reforms, made this revelation at the high-level Extended Bureau Retreat on AU Institutional Reforms held in Nairobi, Kenya.

The Kenyan President cited the alarming number of terrorism incidents in Africa, which resulted in 4,818 deaths between April and June 2024 alone. This period saw a total of 1,000 terrorism incidents across the continent, underscoring the severity of the security challenges facing Africa.

Ruto's statement comes against the backdrop of a worsening humanitarian situation in Africa, where conflicts have intensified in recent times. The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda, for instance, have exchanged fire along their shared border in Goma, deepening an already dire crisis in a region scarred by wars between 1996 and 2003.

In the Sahel region, countries such as Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger continue to grapple with escalating insurgencies by militant groups linked to al-Qaeda and ISIS, further destabilizing the region. Sudan, too, has been facing severe internal unrest, with clashes between the military and paramilitary forces plunging the country into chaos since April 2023.

The Kenyan President emphasized that the African Union's current security architecture is ill-equipped to address the continent's complex dynamics and challenges. He called for the urgent revitalization of the peace and security framework, highlighting that the AU's presence in regional hotspots remains weak, fragmented, and under-resourced.

Ruto's concerns are further underscored by the fact that Africa is currently home to 35 million internally displaced persons, 8.9 million refugees, 1.1 million asylum seekers, and 1 million stateless individuals. The humanitarian situation in Africa is dire, and the economic impact of these conflicts is crippling the continent's development.

The Kenyan President's statement serves as a wake-up call for African leaders to prioritize institutional reforms and strengthen the continent's security architecture. As the African Union grapples with the challenges of conflict resolution and peacekeeping, it is imperative that the organization is equipped with the necessary resources and mandate to address the complex security dynamics in Africa.

In conclusion, the economic impact of ongoing conflicts in Africa is staggering, and it is imperative that African leaders take concrete steps to address the root causes of these conflicts. The revitalization of the African Union's peace and security framework is a critical step in this direction, and it is hoped that Ruto's call to action will galvanize African leaders to take decisive action to address the continent's security challenges.