AU to hold summit on refugees

2009-09-23 22:14

Addis Ababa - The African Union (AU) said on Wednesday it planned to hold a special heads of state summit on refugees and internally displaced people in the Ugandan capital Kampala at the end of October.

The AU said in a statement that the theme of the summit would be "the African Union addressing the challenge of forced displacement in Africa".

The summit will be held on October 22 and 23 and be preceded on October 19 and 20 by a session of the AU Executive Council.

According to the UN agency for refugees, Africa is the continent with the highest number of refugees and displaced people in the world - more than 12 million at the end of 2008 - notably because of several long-running conflicts on the continent.

- SAPA