President William Ruto has criticised the United States and the European Union for spending disproportionately on conflicts outside Africa while neglecting the continent's security needs.
Speaking at the African CEO Forum in Kigali, Ruto pointed out the disparity in funding, pointing out the billions of dollars allocated to conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine, contrasting sharply with the limited resources directed towards African conflicts.
"Among the conversations we are going to have is about peace, security, and stability. We have seen the US, we have seen Europe spend billions in Gaza, billions in Ukraine. Have you seen billions in Africa? No, I have not," lamented President Ruto.
Ruto urged the African Union (AU) to spearhead negotiations with global powers for equitable partnerships in peace and security. He emphasised the need for a structured collaboration between Africa, the US, and the EU, ensuring stability across regions, including Africa, Gaza, and Ukraine.
Africa ranks second in the number of armed conflicts per region, with over 34 non-international armed conflicts (NIACs) in countries such as Burkina Faso, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mali, Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal, Somalia, South Sudan, and Sudan. These conflicts involve various armed groups fighting against government forces and each other, significantly hindering growth and development.
President Ruto, the African Union Champion for Institutional Reform, committed to lead the discussions for directing more resources to end these conflicts, which have displaced an estimated 40.4 million Africans. This figure surpasses the populations of countries like Angola, Ghana, or Morocco.
"So this is the conversation we want to have. We believe that a proper partnership should be structured between Africa through the AU, with the US, with the EU, on how stability matters wherever that is. Whether it is in Africa, or it is in Gaza, or it is in Ukraine, it is about people. And there are no better people than others," Ruto asserted.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has echoed similar sentiments, criticising the global community for neglecting the crises in Africa. In April, Guterres highlighted the lack of support for the 51 million Sudanese people embroiled in over a yearlong war.
"Much of the world has been focused on the crisis that was generated in the Middle East. As concerning as those developments are, other dramatic life-and-death emergencies are being pushed into the shadows," Guterres stated.
The UN's humanitarian campaign requires $2.7 billion this year to provide food, healthcare, and other supplies to 24 million people in Sudan—nearly half its population. However, only $145 million, about 5%, has been funded so far, according to the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
In contrast, the US has supported Ukraine with $175 billion in aid, including weapons and humanitarian assistance. Many NATO and EU members have also provided significant aid packages to Ukraine. Meanwhile, US support for Africa remains limited, despite competition with China to be the continent's preferred superpower.
At the 2nd US-Africa Leaders Summit in December 2022, the US committed $55 billion to support the AU Agenda 2063. However, only $15 billion of this amount constitutes new projects, with the remaining $40 billion repackaging existing US initiatives and agreements with Africa. Amaka Anku, Head of Africa’s Practice at Eurasia Group, criticised the US approach, describing Biden’s promises as hollow rhetoric with little substantive action.
Despite the criticism from President Ruto, the US has donated over Ksh39 billion ($300 million) to the Kenyan-led Multinational Security Support (MSS) to Haiti.
President Ruto asserted Africa's longstanding commitment to global peacekeeping efforts, with the example of Kenya's Mission to Haiti set to begin by the end of May, Ruto noted, "Kenya has participated in peacekeeping for the last 40 years. We have been in 49 countries, just like Rwanda have. And therefore, when called upon to support humanity, we must show up. And so, do others need to show up where we are concerned?"
