Luanda, Angola — Uganda has called for stronger political ownership, institutional coordination and decisive action to make Africa’s existing peace and security mechanisms more effective in preventing and resolving conflicts across the continent.
Addressing the Extraordinary Summit on Strengthening Mechanisms for Conflict Prevention and Resolution in Africa in Luanda, Uganda’s Minister of Defence, Hon. Kiryowa Kiwanuka, said Africa’s increasingly complex security environment requires the effective implementation of existing continental frameworks rather than the creation of additional institutions. Minister Kiwanuka, who represented President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, reaffirmed Uganda’s commitment to advancing peace and security in line with the African Union’s Agenda 2063. He said the continent continues to face interconnected security challenges, including terrorism, foreign interference, youth unemployment, climate-related insecurity and forced displacement. However, Uganda’s position is that Africa’s central challenge is not a lack of mechanisms, but insufficient political ownership, coordination and implementation.
Uganda identified four priorities for strengthening the continent’s conflict-prevention architecture: improving institutional coherence and ownership, translating early warning into early action, securing predictable and sustainable financing for peace operations, and fully operationalising continental peace and humanitarian institutions.
The summit, convened under the leadership of Angolan President João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço, the African Union Champion for Peace and Reconciliation in Africa, comes amid renewed continental efforts to address persistent conflicts and emerging security threats. The meeting follows a decision by the AU Assembly at its 39th Ordinary Session in Addis Ababa in February 2026, which recognised the need for stronger collective action to prevent and resolve conflicts.
During the deliberations, member states are examining ways to improve coordination between the AU Commission, Regional Economic Communities and Regional Mechanisms. Uganda stressed that greater institutional coherence is essential to ensuring that continental and regional responses complement each other and respond effectively to conflicts on the ground.
Kampala also urged the swift finalisation of the AU Trigger Model and Threat Assessment Tool to strengthen the continent’s capacity to respond to emerging threats before they escalate. On financing, Uganda called for the full operationalisation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2719, including through assessed contributions, while advocating for a stronger AU Peace Fund to support African-led peace operations.
Minister Kiwanuka also highlighted logistical challenges affecting the African Standby Force and reaffirmed Uganda’s readiness to host and fully operationalise the African Humanitarian Agency in Kampala. He said the success of the Luanda Action Plan and Implementation Matrix would ultimately depend on effective implementation, accountability and regular review, rather than the adoption of new frameworks alone.
