PeacePro Rejects U.S. Airstrikes in Africa, Warns of Escalating Conflicts

The Foundation for Peace Professionals (PeacePro) has strongly opposed the United States' plan to carry out airstrikes against terrorist targets across Africa, cautioning that foreign military interventions have historically worsened conflicts instead of resolving them.

This opposition follows a statement by Gen. James Hecker, Commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Africa (USAFE-AFAFRICA), who announced 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.

Gen. Hecker justified the airstrikes as necessary to eliminate high-value terrorist threats that endanger both African nations and the United States.

However, PeacePro firmly disagrees, asserting that Africa’s security challenges should be handled by Africans, not foreign forces.

Reacting to the announcement, PeacePro’s Executive Director, Abdulrazaq Hamzat, issued a statement to journalists in Ilorin over the weekend, rejecting any form of foreign military intervention on African soil.

The organization, which advocates for the demilitarization of Africa, argues that foreign airstrikes have a history of causing civilian casualties, destabilization, and increasing 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 emphasized that its stance is supported by historical evidence.

“Past U.S. and Western military operations in Africa have often led to more violence and instability rather than peace,” it stressed.