Today, my remarks will focus on displacement as a major obstacle on the road to the stability and development of Africa. The recent history of the continent provides many examples of how forced population movements can undermine efforts to achieve peace and broader prosperity. Displacement and war Displacement and conflicts are related in different ways.
Wars compel people to flee.
People in flight can aggravate or complicate wars. For example, ethnic divisions and forced displacement were among the causes of the 1994 Rwandan genocide, which was followed by the flight of millions of Rwandans to neighbouring countries. The international geopolitical situation of the early 90s provided frameworks within which solutions to problems of displacement were found and implemented. Some Cold War conflicts previously fought by proxy on African soil ended. Other internal conflicts were addressed and resolved.