Last week’s discussions confronted an uncomfortable but necessary truth:
Africa does not have a credible collective security guarantee comparable to that of the European Union, nor does it have a military alliance akin to NATO to protect its people, territories, and strategic resources.

This structural gap raises a critical question for the continent:

Could the absence of a robust collective security framework be the fundamental reason why wars in Africa, particularly in Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo, remain so resistant to resolution, despite repeated mediation efforts and sustained international involvement?

Both Sudan and the DRC illustrate the limits of fragmented security responses. Sovereign states, acting largely in isolation, face conflicts that are regional in nature, increasingly internationalised, and deeply entangled with geopolitical and resource interests. Without a collective deterrence mechanism, mediation alone has proven insufficient.

Today’s discussion will move beyond diagnosis to interrogate responsibility, feasibility, and political will, asking what Africa must do differently if it is to protect itself in an increasingly militarised global order.