Following the African Union’s Heads of State and Government Summit in Addis Ababa, Christian Aid’s CEO Amanda Mukwashi said:
“Across Africa, most of those forced from their homes by armed conflict and violence are displaced within their own countries, and in fact recent statistics point to a worrying increase in internal displacement on the continent. These people lost everything – their homes, livelihoods, and in many cases their relatives.
“Christian Aid and its partners are working to support displaced people in countries including Nigeria, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, but unless African leaders work harder to prevent forcible displacement, we will remain in fire-fighting mode.
“The AU has declared 2019 the year of refugees, returnees, and internally displaced persons. It’s time for the AU and its member states to translate rhetoric and good intentions into laws, policies and action on the ground to protect everyone forcibly displaced in Africa, including finding durable solutions for those displaced within national borders.
“Respect for international law, including the UN Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement and the Kampala Convention, and enabling IDPs and community organisations working with them to help shape national and regional policy must be key elements in this effort.”
Time to translate rhetoric into action for forcibly displaced people across Africa
Notes to Editors:
1. Christian Aid works in some of the world's poorest communities in around 40 countries at any one time. We act where there is great need, regardless of religion, helping people to live a full life, free from poverty. We provide urgent, practical and effective assistance in tackling the root causes of poverty as well as its effects.
2. Christian Aid’s core belief is that the world can and must be changed so that poverty is ended: this is what we stand for. Everything we do is about ending poverty and injustice: swiftly, effectively, sustainably. Our strategy document Partnership for Change (http://www.christianaid.org.uk/images/partnership-for-change-summary.pdf) explains how we set about this task.
3. Christian Aid is a member of the ACT Alliance, a global coalition of more than 130 churches and church-related organisations that work together in humanitarian assistance, advocacy and development. Further details at http://actalliance.org
4. Follow Christian Aid's newswire on Twitter: http://twitter.com/caid_newswire
5. For more information about the work of Christian Aid visit http://www.christianaid.org.uk
