Persistent violence stalling African development, Burundi's Ndayishimiye tells summit

Persistent violence across Africa is taking a toll on farming, education and development, Burundi’s President told leaders at an African Union meeting in Egypt.

Evariste Ndayishimiye was speaking at the Alamein Africa Forum, attended by heads of state and business leaders from across the continent.

"Amid insecurity, no farmer goes to the fields anymore. No child goes to school anymore. No institution plans development for its country. We deplore that violence persists on our continent. In DRC, in Sudan, it is an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe.”

Egypt’s president urged African countries to respect one another’s rights. Egypt is involved in a long-running dispute with Ethiopia over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, which Cairo sees as a threat to its share of Nile waters.

"There is no doubt that every state has the right to development and to benefit from its natural resources, however, at the same time, this right must be exercised in a responsible manner that does not cause harm to other states," Abdel Fattah al-Sisi told the summit. "Our common interests are greater than our differences.”

The Alamein forum will become a biennial event under an African Union mandate, focusing on infrastructure, trade, agriculture, healthcare, mining, technology and renewable energy.