Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has identified the financing and arming of proxy groups by foreign actors as one of the greatest barriers to lasting peace across Africa.
Obasanjo made this known on Thursday at the third Mashariki Cooperation Conference held in Diani, Kwale County, Kenya, where discussions focused on evolving geopolitical dynamics and Africa’s security architecture.
Drawing from decades of involvement in conflict resolution, the former president warned that military interventions without a solid political process often fail to achieve lasting peace.
“Military intervention in conflict without a credible political process is at best a pause in fighting and at worst a prolongation of it,” he said.
He also criticised the growing trend of coups in the Sahel region, urging African institutions to remain truthful when leaders use anti-colonial rhetoric to mask governance failures. While acknowledging citizens’ grievances that sometimes fuel support for military takeovers, Obasanjo maintained that such regimes have not delivered sustainable development or genuine security.
Emphasising the role of intelligence, he noted that early warning signs—such as ethnic tensions, electoral manipulation, youth militia recruitment, and economic marginalisation—are often visible long before conflicts erupt. However, he said the challenge lies in the lack of political will to act on such information.
Obasanjo further pointed to countries such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan, and Libya as examples where foreign involvement has worsened conflicts, accusing external powers of fuelling crises while claiming to seek peace.
He called for stronger intelligence coordination across Africa and for the African Union to better use early warning systems to prevent conflicts before they escalate.
