PeacePro opposes U.S. military airstrikes in Africa, calls for African-led security solutions

● Says no riom for foreign military intervention in Africa

The Foundation for Peace Professionals (PeacePro) has strongly opposed the United States’ plan to conduct airstrikes against terrorist targets across Africa, warning that foreign military interventions have historically escalated conflicts rather than resolved them.

This opposition followed a statement by Gen. James Hecker, Commander of U.S. Air Forces, Europe and Africa (USAFE-AFAFRICA), who announced during a digital press conference at the 2025 African Air Chiefs’ Symposium (AACS) in Lusaka, Zambia, that the U.S. military would continue targeting terrorist groups like ISIS in Africa.

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According to Gen. Hecker, “such airstrikes are necessary to eliminate high-value terrorist threats that endanger both African nations and the United States.”

However, PeacePro said it disagreed, arguing that Africa’s security challenges must be solved by Africans, not foreign powers.

Reacting to the announcement, PeacePro’s Executive Director, Abdulrazaq Hamzat, rejected any form of foreign military intervention on African soil.

The organization, known for championing the demilitarization of Africa, maintained that foreign airstrikes had a history of causing civilian casualties, destabilization, and increased terrorist recruitment rather than eliminating threats.

“While we acknowledge the security challenges facing Africa, we firmly oppose the militarization of our continent by foreign powers. The U.S. military’s interventions in Libya, Somalia, the Sahel, and other regions have shown that airstrikes and external military actions often escalate conflicts, lead to civilian casualties, and create long-term instability. Africa’s security challenges must be addressed through African-led solutions, not foreign bombings,” Hamzat stated.

PeacePro’s position is backed by historical evidence.

It noted that past U.S. and Western military operations in Africa had often led to more violence and instability rather than peace.

According to Hamzat, “The NATO-led intervention, backed by the U.S., led to the fall of Muammar Gaddafi but plunged Libya into chaos, civil war, and a breeding ground for terrorist groups like ISIS.

“Despite years of U.S. military involvement, including drone strikes, Al-Shabaab remains one of the deadliest terrorist groups in Africa, frequently launching attacks in Somalia and neighboring Kenya.”

Hamzat said that the presence of French and U.S. forces in the Sahel did little to curb terrorist expansion.

He said that, instead, it contributed to anti-Western sentiments and led to military coups in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger.

Rather than relying on external military interventions, PeacePro advocated a stronger role for African institutions like the African Union (AU) and ECOWAS in developing sustainable security strategies.

The said organization believed that defeating terrorism in Africa required strengthening local intelligence networks and improving counterterrorism cooperation between African nations, addressing the root causes of terrorism, such as poverty, poor governance, and radicalization and enhancing regional security initiatives, such as the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF), which had successfully weakened Boko Haram in the Lake Chad region.

Hamzat also warned African governments against allowing their territories to be used as staging grounds for foreign military operations under the guise of counterterrorism.

“The presence of foreign military forces on African soil undermines our sovereignty and prevents us from taking full control of our security challenges. If African nations continue to allow external forces to dictate their security policies, we risk becoming permanent battlegrounds for global power struggles,” he emphasized.

As part of its Africa Demilitarization Campaign, PeacePro urged the African Union (AU) and ECOWAS to reject foreign military intervention and develop indigenous security strategies.

It said Nigerian government and other African leaders should prioritize diplomatic, intelligence-driven, and economic approaches over militarized solutions.

He also urged the United States to shift its Africa policy toward economic partnerships, conflict prevention, and intelligence-sharing, instead of launching military operations.