Mbabazi named to head newly created African thinktank on security in face of recurring coups

Former Prime Minister also Uganda’s  Special Envoy to South Sudan and Ethiopia Amama Mbabazi  has been named as the chairman of the African Global Security foundation, a continental security thinktank charged with sharing ideas and information in regards to the security situation in Africa.

"The African global security foundation was set  up by Congo Brazaville, DRC, Mauritius ,Senegal, Togo and Uganda.  It will be  open to all African states who subscribe to its objectives and willing to participate in it. It will be giving security briefing to members states through established organs,”Mbabazi told journalists on Wednesday at his home in Kololo.

He said the ultimate target of the body will be to contribute to shaping  of members state foreign policies and help build a safer and more stable African continent.

Asked whether the new body doesn’t contradict the African Union peace and security council, Mbabazi dismissed the same as untrue.

“This one is not a governmental body. What we have established is not a state organ but a foundation which hopefully will have capacity to analyse, both for purposes of short term, medium and long term interests of Africa  even beyond governments of today. What Africa needs to do to strengthen itself to catch up with the rest of the world.”

Coups

The development comes in the wake of recurring coups , especially in West Africa.

Several governments especially in West Africa have in the past three years been overthrown, with the one in Burkina Faso being the latest.

At the end of last month, the military overthrew President Roch Marc Kaboré in the fourth coup in West Africa in the last 17 months with two military takeovers in Mali and a failed attempt in Niger.

Recently, DRC President, Felix Tshisekedi is also said to have survived a coup after it was foiled while he was away in Ethiopia for the African Union summit.

When asked to comment on whether coups were in mind when the six heads of state formed the new security, body, Mbabazi responded in the negative.

“This is an idea that has been discussed over a period beyond the emergency of military coups in West Africa. Of course, coups have also been the result of the insecurity that has existed in some of these countries The decision to start process of this was having a global view of the security threats and issues in Africa and elsewhere,”Mbabazi said.

He noted that the organization will build capacity by utilizing as many thinkers as “we can of diverse disciplines”.

“ We are not going to be partisan or working for any particular group in any country but Africa.”

The creation of the organization with its headquarters in Dakar, Senegal comes on the backdrop of a meeting in Congo Brazaville on security and coups and also attended by President Museveni.

Whereas  some issues like funding  have not been finalized,  Mbabazi said he hopes members will be paying subscription fees.