The Special Rapporteur on Refugees, Asylum Seekers, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons in Africa of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (the African Commission) has been informed of the ratification of the African Union Convention for the Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons in Africa (Kampala Convention) by the Republic of Congo.
The Special Rapporteur commends the Government of the Republic of Congo for ratifying this very important instrument for the protection of internally displaced persons.
The Special Rapporteur seizes this opportunity to commend the following twenty-two (22) States that have already ratified the Kampala Convention: Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Lesotho, Malawi, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, Sierra Leone, Swaziland, The Gambia, Togo, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
The Special Rapporteur urges States that have already signed but are yet to ratify the Kampala Convention to do so. These include: Burundi, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea-Conakry, Liberia, Mauritania, Mozambique, Namibia, Sao Tomé and Principe, Senegal, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania and Tunisia.
Taking into account the several cases of internal conflict on the continent, it is urgent for African countries to take responsibility by ratifying instruments that guarantee the protection of victims of conflicts and natural disasters and who are forced to abandon their homes to become refugees and internally displaced persons.
The Special Rapporteur underscores that refugees, asylum seekers, migrants and internally displaced persons are vulnerable people with equal rights, should be treated with dignity and should be provided adequate protection.
