All-African army could be a bulwark against internal and external threats

Sudanese protesters set tires on fire to mark the first anniversary of a raid on an anti-government sit-in, in Riyadh district, Khartoum on June 3, 2020.[AFP]

In 2003, as Darfur was burning, it wasn’t the West or the UN that stepped up. The African Union (AU) did.

With the world watching from the sidelines, the Janjaweed militia, armed and emboldened by Sudan’s government, unleashed terror across the region. Villages were razed, families torn apart, and the word ‘genocide’ was whispered in the halls of power. But while the international community hesitated, the African Union didn’t. They deployed the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS), their peacekeeping force, in 2004, a modest contingent with limited resources but a monumental task: to stand between life and death. It wasn’t flashy, but it was effective.

They created pockets of safety, protected delivery of aid, and, for the first time in months, gave people hope. By then, the Janjaweed militia had killed roughly 200,000 people from Fur, Masalit and Zaghawa ethnic African Sudanese communities. 

The presence of the AU didn’t stop the violence overnight, but it slowed the bloodletting. Their early intervention set stage for something bigger: in 2007, AMIS teamed up with the United Nations to form UNAMID, one of the largest peacekeeping forces in the world. The tide was shifting.

Reports by humanitarian organisations, such as Human Rights Watch and the UN, acknowledged that the deployment of AU forces reduced the ability of militias to operate with impunity, providing critical breathing space for peace negotiations and the eventual signing of the Darfur Peace Agreement. The African Union’s efforts in Darfur underscore its potential as a force for good in regional conflicts.

The success of AMIS in halting the genocide in Darfur underscores the urgent need for a permanent All-African Army, composed of soldiers from across the continent. AMIS, through its multinational force, demonstrated that African-led peacekeeping efforts can succeed where others have failed, harnessing regional expertise and cultural understanding to restore order.

By having an ever-present All-African Army, with troops from all or most of the 54 African nations and leadership rotating among generals from each sub-region, Africa could respond swiftly and decisively to conflicts, avoiding reliance on foreign intervention. This model would not only enhance the continent’s security but also reinforce Pan-African solidarity, ensuring that Africa takes full responsibility for its peace, security, and future stability.

What would it take for such an All-African Army to materialise? An occurrence in late August 2024 points us in the right direction. Nigeria and neighbouring Niger signed a groundbreaking military agreement to boost their security cooperation, despite the lingering political tension between them following Niger’s 2023 coup.

The two countries defence chiefs sealed a deal in Niamey, Niger’s capital. This deal could redefine not only their relationship but also the future of military cooperation in West Africa. The question remains: Could this spark a much larger military outreach across Africa? An outreach that challenges old boundaries and hastens the realisation of the All-African Army.

In the 2024 Global Firepower World Military Strength Rankings, Egypt stands tall as Africa’s strongest military power, while South Africa leads in Sub-Saharan Africa, followed closely by Nigeria and Ethiopia. On the other end of the spectrum, Somalia is ranked the weakest, with Benin and Sierra Leone ahead.

This ranking takes into account over 60 factors, including military size, economic strength, supply chains, and geographical features. This comprehensive approach enables technologically advanced smaller nations to compete effectively against larger but less modernised military forces. Imagine, then, the potential of an All-African Army. One that merges the unique strengths of each African country into a unified force, operating in harmony for the sake of the continent’s security.

Such an army would have transformative benefits. First, it could offer immediate relief in the face of the numerous conflicts scattered across Africa. Second, it would make wars between African nations far less likely, as their military forces would be interconnected. And finally, its overarching goal would be to secure peace, not stir up more conflict. The vision of an All-African Army isn’t one of conquest, but of peacekeeping; a unifier, not a divider.

If you search for ‘united African army’ on Google, the top results will point to the US Africa Command. It’s based in Stuttgart, Germany. It’s one of 11 combatant commands of the US Department of Defence, each responsible for overseeing military forces in specific regions or functions during both peace and war. It protects the US national interest by assisting African governments to combat violent extremists and manage crises.

The absence of any search results related to a united African army speaks volumes. It shows how African governments have largely neglected the idea of establishing a transnational army capable of genuinely protecting African citizens.

As a result, many African nations have turned to foreign paramilitary groups, such as the Wagner Group, for security. Countries like the Central African Republic even use the Wagner Group to provide presidential security. Yet the solution is right under our noses.

On February 28, 2004, during an extraordinary session of the African Union in Sirte, Libya, African leaders adopted the Common African Defence and Security Policy (CADSP), a forward-thinking initiative aimed at consolidating a continental framework to address both internal and external threats. Its mission was clear: to establish a robust defense architecture capable of advancing peace and security across Africa. Despite its importance, the policy has not received the level of academic or policy analysis necessary to fully explore its potential, particularly in today’s complex security environment. At its heart, CADSP represents African leadership in crafting a broad and principle-driven response to peace and security challenges. It emphasizes the indivisibility of African security, recognising that instability in one region inevitably threatens the whole continent. However, the policy’s true potential has been underutilised, as the African Standby Force (ASF) and other multilateral security arrangements have been slow to operationalize.

The Africa Standby Force in particular should serve as a springboard to the All-African Army. ASF is a peacekeeping and rapid response force established by the African Union (AU) to address conflicts and crises across the continent. It is designed to deploy quickly in response to emergencies, such as armed conflicts, humanitarian crises, or constitutional crises.

Comprising military, police, and civilian components from Africa’s five regions, the ASF aims to provide African-led solutions to security challenges, promoting peace and stability. Although declared operational, the ASF has been slow to deploy, with ad-hoc regional coalitions often filling the gap in addressing immediate security needs.

The Africa Standby Force should metamorphose into the All-African Army, largely funded by African nations themselves through minimal taxation.

According to a recent report from the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO), Africa has been hit hardest by state-based conflicts, experiencing over 330,000 battle-related deaths in just three years. In 2023, the continent saw 28 such conflicts, almost double the 15 recorded in 2013.

The report revealed that a significant driver of the rise in state-based conflicts is the growing presence of the Islamic State (IS) across Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, along with other non-state actors such as the Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM).

IS has increasingly shifted its focus towards Africa, now claiming responsibility for over half of its operations on the continent. Additionally, Al-Qaeda-linked groups like JNIM and Al-Shabaab continue to launch devastating attacks within their regions of influence.

If six decades of AU and international interventions have failed to stem the tide of conflict ravaging Africa, then it is clear that a drastic shift is overdue. An All-African Army represents this bold new direction, offering a unified and powerful force to counter the destabilisation that continues to plague the continent.

By drawing on the collective strength of all African nations, this army would act as a bulwark against both state-based conflicts and the rising threat of non-state actors like IS and Al-Qaeda affiliates. It would foster collaboration across borders, reduce internal rivalries, and replace fragmented responses with a coordinated defense strategy designed to secure lasting peace.

The time has come for Africa to take full ownership of its security, and an All-African Army stands as the most viable solution to protect the future of its people.

-The writer is Executive Director at Environmental Africa.