EBK Returns To Africa’s Peace Debate

By Sheriff Mahmud Ismail| Bahir Dar, Ethiopia| 24th October, 2026

Against the magnificent backdrop of Ethiopia’s ancient highlands, where the waters of Lake Tana gather before beginning their long journey towards the Blue Nile, African leaders have assembled to confront a question that has haunted the continent for generations: how can Africa secure peace on its own terms in a world increasingly shaped by competing global powers?

For former Sierra Leonean President Ernest Bai Koroma, attending the 12th Tana High-Level Forum on Security in Africa is both a return to continental diplomacy and an opportunity to press a question that goes beyond the battlefield: can Africa achieve lasting peace while surrendering control of the economic resources, financial systems and strategic decisions upon which its future depends?

The three-day gathering, running from 23 to 25 October in Bahir Dar, is being held under the theme “Pathways to Peace in Africa: Economic Sovereignty and Geopolitical Transformation.” Convened by the Institute for Peace and Security Studies at Addis Ababa University, the Forum brings together political leaders, former heads of state, diplomats, security specialists, academics, civil society representatives and international partners. Its purpose is to move African perspectives closer to the centre of decisions about African security.

The choice of setting is striking. Ethiopia, with its extraordinary civilisational heritage and long history of defending its independence, provides a compelling backdrop for discussions about sovereignty. Nearby, the Blue Nile begins its journey from Lake Tana, eventually joining the White Nile in Sudan before continuing northwards to Egypt. Its waters connect countries whose destinies are bound together by geography, commerce, competing national interests and the difficult politics of cooperation. Just as the rivers do not respect political boundaries, so do the consequences of conflict.

A region on the edge

The urgency of the discussions is unmistakable. Sudan’s devastating war has produce a humanitarian catastrophe and continues to threaten lives, livelihoods and regional stability, while the renewed fighting in northern Ethiopia has raised fears of another destructive confrontation. Relations between Ethiopia and Eritrea have deteriorated sharply, with competing allegations over military involvement and deepening disputes over security and access to the sea. The allegations of cross-border military intervention remain contested.

Somalia continues to confront the challenge of armed extremism while seeking to consolidate state authority and manage its security transition. South Sudan, meanwhile, remains vulnerable to renewed violence and political fragmentation. Across the region, instability is compounded by humanitarian emergencies, contested borders, displacement and the strategic interests of outside powers.

These are not isolated crises. They intersect with competition over ports, trade routes, natural resources and influence along the Red Sea and the wider Indian Ocean. The danger is that local conflicts may become entangled in broader geopolitical rivalries, making negotiated settlements harder to achieve.

It is against this unsettled landscape that the Tana Forum’s central proposition acquires particular significance: peace cannot be secured through military arrangements alone. It must also rest on legitimate institutions, economic opportunity, accountable governance and the capacity of African states to determine their own priorities.

From the margins to the centre

Former President Koroma’s scheduled contribution is framed around the high-level panel, “From the Margins to the Centre: Building an African Model for Peace and Sovereignty in an Age of Geopolitical Rivalry.” The discussion challenges African governments to move beyond declarations of sovereignty and examine what genuine independence means in practice.

For the former Sierra Leonean leader, the central questions include how countries can transform natural-resource wealth into industrial development, employment and public services, rather than allow it to reinforce inequality and dependence. Africa’s mineral wealth, agricultural potential and growing digital economy, the argument goes, must become foundations for domestic prosperity instead of merely supplying external markets.

That requires transparent resource contracts, greater local processing, investment in productive industries, stronger public institutions and financial arrangements that retain more value within African economies. It also demands closer regional integration and greater African control over the digital infrastructure and systems increasingly essential to national security.

The connection between these economic choices and peace is fundamental. Where wealth is concentrated, opportunities are scarce and institutions fail to deliver, grievances can become fertile ground for instability. Economic sovereignty, in this sense, is not an abstract nationalist slogan; it is part of the architecture of peace.

The Forum’s agenda reflects the breadth of the challenge, encompassing Sudan’s crisis, resource and monetary sovereignty, the financing of African peace and security institutions, digital dependence, illicit economies and the future of regional integration. Its participants bring experience from national leadership, continental institutions, international diplomacy, research and civil society.

Beyond another conference

Former President Koroma’s contribution should help sharpen the test by which this gathering is ultimately judged: what happens after the delegates leave Bahir Dar?

The recommendations emerging from the discussions need to translate into a practical programme. That means identifying clear priorities, assigning responsibility to the African Union and relevant regional organisations, establishing timelines and measurable indicators, and following through on commitments to mediation, conflict prevention and sustainable security financing.

It also means confronting the political economy of conflict: tracing the money and commercial networks that sustain violence, strengthening accountability for the exploitation of resources, and investing in the livelihoods and public services without which peace agreements can remain fragile.

For the Horn of Africa, an especially urgent priority is renewed preventive diplomacy between Ethiopia and Eritrea, alongside coordinated regional efforts to support a political settlement in Sudan and prevent its war from spreading. Such efforts must respect sovereignty while recognising that no country can insulate itself from the consequences of instability in its neighbourhood.

The Forum’s informal tradition of candid engagement offers an opportunity to test ideas, challenge assumptions and build the trust that formal communiqués alone cannot produce. Its success, however, will depend on whether those conversations generate sustained political commitment and concrete follow-up.

A welcome return

Former President Koroma’s presence in Bahir Dar also carries a personal and continental significance. It marks his first international engagement following nearly three years away from African Union-level engagements and major international events, making his return to a forum devoted to the continent’s future a welcome development. His participation, scheduled for 10:30 this morning local time,  brings the perspective of a former head of state whose experience of governance and post-conflict recovery offers a useful vantage point from which to examine the relationship between political stability, institutional credibility and economic development.

As Ethiopia welcomes its guests beside the waters of Lake Tana, the challenge before them is larger than the deliberations of any single panel. Africa must decide whether it will remain primarily a theatre in which others pursue strategic interests, or become a more effective architect of its own security and prosperity.

The Blue Nile will continue its journey after the conference halls fall silent. The measure of the 12th Tana Forum will be whether its ideas travel as far — translated into decisions, partnerships and practical action capable of making peace more than a promise.

We will bring you updates on Former President Koroma’s contributions