President Bola Tinubu on Monday rejected the growing reliance on private military and security contractors in conflict zones in Africa, warning that their involvement undermines sovereignty and complicates counter-terrorism operations across the continent.
Speaking during the first plenary session on ’Peace, Security, Governance and Multilateralism’ at the 7th African Union–European Union (AU-EU) Summit in Luanda, Angola, Tinubu said peace efforts must be led and owned by African governments rather than outsourced to private actors with opaque mandates.
President Tinubu, represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima, told heads of state and EU leaders: ‘We stand resolutely against the use of private military and security companies in African conflicts, as their presence often complicates resolution efforts and undermines state sovereignty’.
President Tinubu argued that Africa’s security challenges, from terrorism to transnational organised crime, require coordinated state-driven responses, not parallel forces that weaken command structures.
He said Nigeria’s position aligns with its long-standing approach to regional peace missions under ECOWAS and the AU.
The Nigerian leader also cautioned that the global shift away from multilateralism has created a more fragile security environment, noting that the EU remains one of the few platforms still engaging Africa on a ‘continent-to-continent basis, anchored on mutual respect and shared aspirations’.
He reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to strengthening peace and democratic stability across the continent, saying the country is ‘more prepared than ever’ to work with the EU to build ‘a stable, just and prosperous world’.
President Tinubu also intensified Nigeria’s bid to secure permanent seats with veto-wielding authority in the United Nations Security Council for Africa, insisting that a comprehensive reform of the global governance system is long overdue.
He tasked the EU with co-creating peace and security initiatives alongside its African partners, anchored on African-led frameworks, as a pathway to achieving sustainable stability across the continent.
President Tinubu disclosed that over 250,000 Boko Haram-affiliated individuals had surrendered in early 2025 following the Nigerian Government’s kinetic and non-kinetic measures.
The President stressed that the challenges of armed conflict, illicit weapons, climate pressures, irregular migration, and political instability across Africa now demand stronger cooperation.
‘It is time for Africa to occupy permanent seats on the UN Security Council, with all attendant privileges, including the veto. Genuine text-based negotiations under the Intergovernmental Negotiations framework must now commence.
‘It is our hope that EU Member States will support Africa’s long-standing and legitimate call for reform of the United Nations’, he stated.
He noted that addressing these challenges requires renewed AU–EU focus on preventive diplomacy, inclusive governance, and long-term investment in people and infrastructure.
The Nigerian leader acknowledged that the EU has remained one of the AU’s most reliable partners since the creation of the African Peace and Security Architecture in 2002.
He also recalled that Nigeria’s experience has shown that regional instability, if left unchecked, fuels terrorism, insurgency, banditry, and transnational organised crime.
Addressing this, the President stated that his administration had adopted a combination of kinetic and non-kinetic measures, including the Multinational Joint Task Force in the Lake Chad Basin, which, according to him, remains an effective model of African-led cooperative security.
He further noted that a major component of Nigeria’s strategy continues to yield positive security outcomes, adding: ‘As of early 2025, over 120,000 Boko Haram-affiliated individuals, including family members, have surrendered’.
Nigeria’s commitment to regional stability is further reinforced by the recent Sea-Lift Agreement between the Nigerian Navy and the AU Standby Force, enhancing Africa’s rapid deployment capabilities for peace operations and humanitarian support’, he added.
Furthermore, the President commended the EU’s commitment to restoring peace in the Sahel, while recognising Europe’s understandable concern over irregular migration, much of which originates from ungoverned spaces shaped by insecurity.
On the security situation, the President called for an EU initiative anchored on African-led frameworks and regional ownership to drive positive outcomes.
He said, ‘However, recent experience has shown that externally driven initiatives, however well-intentioned, cannot succeed at pace without strong regional ownership and a grounded understanding of local dynamics.
‘Peace and security initiatives must therefore be co-created with African partners and anchored in African-led frameworks’.
On irregular migration, the President advised that the issue must be addressed in a manner that acknowledges its deep economic and demographic drivers, as criminalising mobility has only compounded insecurity across the continent and beyond.
Instead, he proposed structured labour pathways, such as Nigeria’s Technical Aid Corps for cooperation within the Global South and Business Process Outsourcing, where Nigeria’s highly skilled youthful population can contribute to Europe’s labour needs without resorting to irregular migration.
‘Seasonal mobility has underpinned West African civilisation for centuries the ECOWAS Protocol on Free Movement simply acknowledges this reality.
‘Our joint task is to convert mobility into safe, orderly, and productive pathways that benefit both continents’, he said.
Similarly, the President frowned on the resurgence of Unconstitutional Changes of Government in Africa, highlighting that it undermines the democratic foundations upon which the African Union was built.
He said these disruptions cannot be separated from exogenous pressures that distort political balances and strain already fragile systems.
President Tinubu called on the European Union to work closely with African partners in addressing the structural drivers of these crises.
‘To this end, Nigeria and its neighbours have initiated the Regional Partnership for Democracy, an initiative aimed at strengthening constitutional order, countering extremist narratives, combating disinformation, and supporting governance reforms across West Africa.
It reflects our conviction that security and democratic stability must be pursued simultaneously.
‘The conflict in Sudan has resulted in more than 40,000 deaths and displaced over 12 million people’, he stated.
The President welcomed the G7’s call for renewed diplomacy.
He said, ‘external actors fuelling the conflict must be held accountable’, he stated.
‘Similarly, rising tensions in South Sudan require continued engagement to ensure the full implementation of the Revitalised Peace Agreement ahead of the 2026 elections’, he added.
He also expressed appreciation to the government and people of Angola for hosting the summit and thanked the EU for its sustained support to the African Union, particularly in peace-support operations and conflict-prevention programmes.
The 7th AU–EU Summit, co-chaired by Angola’s President João Lourenço and the President of the European Council, António Costa, brings African and European leaders together to review security cooperation, trade, governance and migration.
