“Africa Is Not at Ease, the Continent Is Bleeding” – P.L.O. Lumumba
Pan-Africanist warns that conflict, weak governance, and external influence threaten Africa’s unity and prosperity
- Lumumba says Africa is “bleeding” amid ongoing conflicts
- Peace and good governance are key to integration
- Open borders mean little without security
Renowned Pan-Africanist, lawyer, and former Director of Kenya’s Anti-Corruption Commission, Prof. Patrick Loch Otieno (P.L.O.) Lumumba, has delivered a sobering assessment of Africa’s state, warning that the continent cannot achieve prosperity or meaningful integration amid persistent conflict and instability.
Speaking at the 2026 African Prosperity Dialogues, held under the theme “Empowering SMEs, Women and Youth in Africa’s Single Market: Innovate, Collaborate, Trade,” Prof. Lumumba cautioned that Africa’s political culture, compounded by external interference, continues to obstruct genuine progress.
He criticised organisations such as the Francophonie and the Commonwealth, describing them as modern extensions of colonial control through which European powers still seek to influence and regulate African affairs.
Painting a grim picture of the continent’s current realities, Lumumba said Africa is “bleeding,” pointing to the ongoing war in Sudan, persistent conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, and the exclusion of Sahelian countries from key African Union activities.
“As we gather to speak about a borderless Africa, let us be realistic,” he said. “I am speaking to you at a time when Africa is bleeding. There is war in Sudan, war in eastern D.R. Congo, and Sahelian countries are excluded from African Union activities. Africa is not at ease.”
He warned that discussions about free movement and continental integration are meaningless without peace and security. “You can have all the open borders you want, but if there is no peace, where will you move to?” he asked, recalling earlier African Union commitments to “silencing the guns,” which he said have clearly failed.
Urging Africans to abandon what he called “romantic” rhetoric, Lumumba stressed the need for realism, accountability, and decisive leadership. He emphasised that Africa’s integration agenda cannot succeed without stability, good governance, and responsible political leadership.
He further called on civil society, as well as youth and women entrepreneurs, to demand concrete action from leaders, noting that free trade agreements, open borders, and ambitious policies alone cannot deliver prosperity without peace, security, and effective governance.
