Dr. Mohamed Ibn Chambas, former President of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission, has expressed grave concern about the present status of peace and security in Africa. In a speech given during the Diplomatic Honors Awards Ceremony in Accra, Ghana, Dr. Chambas said Africa is at a crossroads in its search for peace.
In his speech, Dr. Chambas lamented the myriad crises that have bedeviled the continent, arguing that these include geostrategic competition, unilateralism, as well as conflicts in Libya, Ukraine, Gaza, and Sudan, which are major contributors to the decline of multilateralism.
He observed that there was a democratic governance transition in Africa during the early years of the 2000s, but this has been followed by a series of coups and attempted coups, with 13 such events occurring between August 2020 and August 2023.
Dr. Chambas, who also serves as African Union Chief Mediator on Sudan, described the crisis taking place there as “the world’s worst humanitarian catastrophe,” with over 10 million people displaced within their own country, two million displaced outside country borders, and several thousand dead.
He cautioned that statehood for this nation is on the brink of total collapse, since nearly one million people are facing the risk of starvation.
Moreover, Dr. Chambas raised alarm over the growing levels of violent extremism, with more than 13,000 lives lost from terrorist attacks across sub-Saharan Africa.
