Uganda is to host the African Union (AU) special summit on refugees, returnees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Africa in October, an official announced here on Wednesday. Tarsis Kabwegyere, Uganda’s minister for Relief, Disaster Preparedness and Refugees, said the summit aimed at pursuing durable solutions to the causes and problems of Africa’s 17 million IDP’s and refugees, will be held at Munyonyo Commonwealth Resort, a Kampala suburb, from October 19 to 23.
“African heads of state and governments are expected to take decisions that will help the continent progressively eliminate the phenomenon of large scale forced displacement of populations caused by human induced conflicts and natural disasters,” said Kabwegyere while addressing reporters here. The summit will be held under the theme, “Africa Union addressing the challenges of forced displacement in Africa,” with an outcome of an AU convention for protection and assistance of IDPs in Africa, said the minister.
