Bio Calls for Early Intervention and Stronger Institutions to Secure Peace in Africa

President Dr. Julius Maada Bio has called for a stronger focus on early intervention, accountable institutions and regional cooperation as Africa works to secure lasting peace.

Bio made the case during a keynote lecture at the Geneva Graduate Institute in Geneva, Switzerland, on 13 October. The address, titled “Building Lasting Peace in Africa: The Catalytic Role of ECOWAS,” was delivered as part of the institute’s Director’s Global Leadership Series.

Drawing on his experience as a former soldier, Sierra Leone’s post-war recovery and his time as the immediate past Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority, Bio said peace should be understood as more than the end of armed conflict.

“The absence of war is the beginning of peace. It is not its guarantee,” he said.

Five priorities for lasting peace

Bio outlined five priorities: stronger democratic institutions, preventive diplomacy, regional cooperation, people-centred security and sustainable financing for African-led peace operations.

He said preventive diplomacy and early intervention were critical to averting conflict. He proposed a Regional Prevention Compact under which agreed early-warning triggers would automatically initiate mediation before crises escalate.

The proposal is intended to place greater emphasis on preventing crises rather than responding after violence has begun. The details, participating states and implementation arrangements for the proposed compact were not specified.

Bio also linked peacebuilding to the quality of governance. He said peaceful political transitions and public confidence in institutions were fundamental to preventing instability, while national ownership, justice and effective institutions were necessary to sustain peace.

ECOWAS and regional cooperation

On regional security, Bio advocated what he described as “cooperative sovereignty”, urging West African states to respond collectively to shared threats.

He said ECOWAS should continue dialogue with Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, while learning from its shortcomings and producing tangible results for citizens. The lecture did not include responses from those countries or from ECOWAS.

Bio’s remarks came against a broader argument that security policy must address the conditions that allow conflict to take hold. He said peace was difficult to sustain where insecurity, injustice and economic exclusion remained unresolved.

He called for greater investment in opportunities for young people, connecting employment and inclusion with people-centred security. “The greatest achievements in peacebuilding are the wars that never began, the elections that passed peacefully, the young people who found work instead of weapons,” he said.

Sierra Leone’s peacebuilding experience

Bio referred to Sierra Leone’s experience of post-war recovery and cited peaceful transfers of power in 2007 and 2018. He also pointed to the country’s transition from receiving international peacekeeping support to contributing to peacekeeping efforts abroad.

He reiterated Sierra Leone’s support for reform of the United Nations Security Council, saying Africa should have a fairer voice in global decisions on peace and security.

His proposals included calls for stronger democratic institutions, accountable governance and sustainable financing for African-led peace operations. The source report provides Bio’s assessments and proposals but does not independently establish their likely effects.