COMMUNIQUÉ

Adopted by the Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the African Union (AU) at its 1350^th meeting (Open Session) held on 2 June 2026 on Refugees, Internally Displaced Persons and Humanitarian Assistance in Africa.

The Peace and Security Council,

Recalling its previous decisions on humanitarian situation in Africa, particularly Communiqué [PSC/PR/COMM.1307 (2025)] adopted at its 1307^th meeting held on 24 October 2025; [PSC/PR/COMM.1286 (2025)] adopted at its 1286^th meeting held on 1 July 2025, and [PSC/MIN/COMM.1216 (2024)] adopted at its 1216^th meeting, held at the Ministerial level on 19 June 2024;

Referring to the Declaration [Ext/Assembly/AU/Decl.(XV)] adopted by the 15^th Extraordinary AU Humanitarian Summit and Pledging Conference, held on 27 May 2022, in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea;

        Reaffirming the AU longstanding commitment to ensure the protection of refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs); as well as the AU solidarity with all displaced people in the Continent;

Noting the opening statement by H.E. Ambassador Nasir Aminu, Permanent Representative of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to the African Union (AU) as Stand-in Chairperson of the PSC for the month of June 2026; and the  presentations by H.E. Ambassador Amma Adoma Twum-Amoah, AU Commissioner for Health, Humanitarian Affairs, and Social Development; H.E. Ambassador Churchill Ewumbue-Monono, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Cameroon to the AU as Acting Chairperson of the Permanent Representatives Committee (PRC) Sub-Committee on Refugees, Returnees, Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and Migration; as well as by the representative of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC); and the statements by the representatives of AU Member States, Regional Economic Communities and Regional Mechanisms (RECs/RMs); international organizations and partners; and

Acting under Article 7 of its Protocol, the Peace and Security Council: 

1. Expresses deep concern over the deteriorating humanitarian situation across the African Continent, driven by a combination of factors that include armed conflicts, terrorism and violent extremism, political instability, climate-related shocks, food insecurity, public health emergencies, economic pressures;

2. Notes the increasing impact of climate-related disasters, including droughts, floods and cyclones, which also continue to exacerbate humanitarian vulnerabilities and compounding conflict-related risks across the Continent;

3. Further notes with concern the continued humanitarian consequences of conflicts and insecurity particularly in the Sahel, the Horn of Africa, the Great Lakes region, the Lake Chad Basin, and other parts of the Continent;

4. Underscores the importance of holistically addressing the structural root causes of forced displacement in particular issues related to conflicts, underdevelopment, extreme poverty, lack of decent jobs and youth unemployment, absence of good governance, and also emphasizes the importance of conflict prevention, mediation, inclusive dialogue, peace-building, good governance and sustainable development, among others, as a means of addressing the challenge; further emphasizes on the need to strengthen the resilience of communities affected by conflicts, natural disasters and adverse impact of climate change, in order to reduce their vulnerability to future humanitarian crises;

5. Also underscores the need to place particular emphasis on sustainable development, youth employment and economic opportunities, post conflict reconstruction and recovery in order to strengthen the resilience of communities affected by conflicts, natural disasters and climate-related shocks, in order to intensify their recovery and reduce their vulnerability to future humanitarian crises;

6. Recalls the convening of the 16^th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 16) of Africa Risk Capacity hosted in Addis Ababa on 8 – 9 April 2026 and urges the full implementation of the policy recommendations including reduction of dependency on external aid, strengthening early warning infrastructure and, the alignment of policy on climate response and financial strategies with broader continental frameworks on economic integration;

7. Reiterates the imperative of ensuring that all humanitarian responses in Africa follow an integrated and multidimensional approach anchored on the achievement of sustainable development, combining humanitarian action, conflict prevention through mediation, reconciliation and peacebuilding;

8. Condemns all forms of violence, exploitation, trafficking, abuse and violations committed against refugees, IDPs, particularly women and girls, children, the elderly and persons living with disabilities and urges comprehensive efforts at law enforcement;

9. Urges the need to ensure full compliance with international humanitarian law (IHL), during armed conflicts in Africa and the resulting grave humanitarian distress, and within that context recognizes the important role that regional forums play in promoting compliance with IHL and International Human Rights Law (IHRL);

10. Emphasizes the imperative of ensuring the protection of civilians, humanitarian personnel and civilian infrastructure in conflict situations, in accordance with IHL and IHRL, and in this context, calls on all parties to conflicts to respect the provisions of IHL and IHRL and to facilitate safe, rapid, unhindered and sustained humanitarian access to populations in need ; and urges humanitarian actors to respects the laws of countries and adhere with the humanitarian principles of Humanity, Neutrality, Impartiality, and Independence;

11. Acknowledges the enduring relevance of the 1969 OAU Refugee Convention and the Kampala Convention as landmark instruments of Africa’s humanitarian leadership and solidarity and within this context calls upon Member States that have not yet done so to sign, ratify, domesticate and fully implement these AU instruments;

12. Notes with deep concern the sharp reduction of humanitarian funding which has had an adverse impact on humanitarian assistance, including food security, health services, and protection programmes for affected people, and within this context; calls for the provision of adequate, flexible, and sustainable funding for humanitarian situations in Africa;

13. Underlines the centrality of international cooperation to the refugee protection regime, recognizes the burden that major and long-standing refugee-hosting countries and communities are shouldering, and calls for a more equitable sharing of the burden and shared responsibility for addressing the needs of refugees, while taking account of existing contributions and the differing capacities and resources among States;

14. Calls upon donors and other stakeholders to mobilize and provide additional support for adaptation and mitigation of environmental impacts of hosting large numbers of refugees and other forcibly displaced persons, including by supporting renewable energy, environmental protection and rehabilitation initiatives for refugees and other forcibly displaced persons and their host communities;

15. Urges intensified efforts towards the provision of climate finance to meet the demands for enhanced adaptation and resilience capacity as well as addressing the special context and needs of the African continent through meeting the adaptation finance needs identified in the context of the Africa Adaptation Acceleration Program to among others address forced displacement caused by the adverse impacts of climate change;

16. Reiterates the request for the AU Commission to expedite the study on humanitarian financing and to present concrete proposals for sustainable and predictable funding mechanisms;

17. Underlines the need to further strengthen Africa’s capacities for anticipating, preventing and responding to humanitarian crises, particularly those arising from the adverse impacts of climate change, through the development of early warning, preparedness and resilience mechanisms tailored to the realities of the Continent and within this context, encourages Member States to further strengthen national preparedness, early warning capacities and disaster risk reduction, response and resilience mechanisms in order to be better prepared to respond to future humanitarian emergencies;

18. Notes Africa continues to host and cater for majority of humanitarian and economic needs emanating from forced displacement including refugees; requests the AU Commission, working in collaboration with relevant AU organs, RECs/RMs and partners, to continue supporting Member States in implementing continental development, integration, humanitarian and human mobility and displacement-related frameworks and to provide regular updates to Council on the humanitarian situation across the Continent;

19. Appeals to the international community and Member States, in a position to do so, to contribute to the existing African instruments such as the Special Emergency Assistance Fund (SEAF),  the Africa Risk Capacity (ARC) and the Continental Mechanism of Civil Capacity for Disaster Preparedness and Response (3CMDPR) whose statute was adopted by the AU Assembly of Heads of State and Government in February 2025;

20. Emphasizes the importance of mainstreaming humanitarian-development-peace nexus in all responses to protracted displacements and recurrent crises on the Continent, and stresses the need to holistically address the structural root causes of forced displacements, particularly  those related to underdevelopment, loss of means of livelihood and lack of decent jobs and economic opportunities, conflict, insecurity and political instability and stresses the need to work towards the peaceful settlement of disputes, and the prevention of conflict so as to create conditions that are conducive for voluntary return of refugees and IDPs in safety and dignity, while strengthening African-led mechanisms capable of responding to increasingly interconnected crises on the Continent;

21. Welcomes the African Humanitarian Coordination Platform and its 2026–2027 Joint Implementation Plan;

22. Emphasizes the importance of strengthening the African Humanitarian Agency (AHA), and within this context, calls for an expedited operationalisation and sustainable financing of the Agency;

23. Calls for enhanced advocacy for the protection of people in vulnerable situations, and against this backdrop, reaffirms the Council’s unwavering support for the appointment of His Excellency President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, President of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea, as the African Union Champion on Humanitarian Response and Protection of Vulnerable Populations; commends his leadership, commitment, and sustained advocacy in advancing the protection of refugees, internally displaced persons, returnees, and other populations affected by humanitarian crises across the African continent and encourages collaboration between all humanitarian entities operating on the Continent and the office of the AU Champion;

24. Also calls upon Member States, the AU Commission, Regional Economic Communities/Regional Mechanisms (RECs/RMs), the United Nations and humanitarian agencies and partners to further strengthen coordination and collective responses to both emerging and protracted humanitarian crises in the Continent;

25. Highlights the need for strengthening registration, monitoring and data management mechanisms relating to refugees and internally displaced persons, in order to improve the effectiveness of humanitarian responses and ensure adequate allocation of resources;

26. Also notes with deep concern the recent outbreak of Ebola and related humanitarian consequences in the affected countries of the Continent, and in this regard, calls on the United Nations, AU Member States, partners and international organizations to provide urgent and necessary financial and technical resources in support of the efforts of  such countries and   Africa CDC in order to effectively fight and contain the epidemic;

27. Pays tribute to Member States and partners that have honoured pledges made during the Malabo Extraordinary Humanitarian Summit (2022) in support of the operationalisation of the African Humanitarian Agency and humanitarian response efforts across Africa, and urges those Member States and partners that have not yet fulfilled their pledges to do so without delay;

28. Acknowledges the efforts of the Republic Sierra Leone towards the adoption of an AU Declaration on Strengthening International Humanitarian Law and encourages the AU Commission to consider presenting the draft for timely consideration and possible adoption following  applicable decision-making process, at the  upcoming Extraordinary Session of the AU Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the AU on Conflict Resolutions in Africa, in August 2026 in Luanda, Angola ;

29. Commends the AU Commission for its efforts, and also the PRC Sub-Committee on Refugees, Returnees, Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and Migration for the conduct of humanitarian assessment missions and for the solidarity support to Member States grappling with humanitarian crises;

30. Reaffirms the African Union’s longstanding commitment to refugee protection, solidarity with displaced populations and support to Member States hosting refugees and internally displaced persons; recalls that the World Refugee Day, commemorated annually on 20 June has its roots in African Refugee Day, formerly observed by the Organization of African Unity (OAU), and within this context; reiterates African Union’s renewed solidarity with all persons forced to flee their homes; and

31. Decides to remain actively seized of the matter.

COMMENTS