Africa’s preeminent peacebuilding organization, the Foundation for Peace Professionals (PeacePro), has called for a global reassessment of foreign military deployments, urging the United Nations and the broader international community to consider a phased shutdown of foreign military bases worldwide in light of the escalating Middle East crisis.
In a statement released on Tuesday by the Executive Director, Abdulrazaq Hamzat, PeacePro argued that the current crisis in the Middle East between US-Israel and Iran, as well as the Gulf States demonstrate the dangers of forward military positioning and alliance based security architecture.
“Militarization breeds escalation,” Hamzat said.
PeacePro stated that the presence of foreign military bases often transforms regional disputes into international confrontations.
“The continued expansion of foreign military bases across sovereign territories has increased the likelihood of global entanglement in regional conflicts,” Hamzat said. “The Middle East crisis is a reminder that militarized deterrence frequently produces escalation rather than peace.”
PeacePro emphasized that foreign bases can make host nations potential targets during geopolitical disputes, heightening civilian vulnerability and destabilizing entire regions.
PeacePro urged major global powers, including the United States, China, and Russia, to begin negotiations toward a multilateral agreement aimed at reducing permanent foreign troop deployments outside their home territories.
According to Hamzat, a gradual demilitarization framework could include: Phased withdrawal of foreign combat forces;
Conversion of certain military facilities into joint humanitarian or peacekeeping hubs; Strengthening regional security mechanisms independent of great power rivalry and Expanding diplomatic and conflict resolution frameworks.
PeacePro framed the issue as one of sovereignty and global equity.
“No region should become a chessboard for major power competition. True security must be built on cooperation, not encirclement,” Hamzat stated.
Hamzat argued that long term peace depends less on military deterrence and more on economic cooperation, inclusive diplomacy, and respect for sovereign decision making.
While acknowledging that the proposal may face resistance, PeacePro insisted that the current Middle East tensions present a critical opportunity to rethink global security architecture in the 21st century.
PeacePro called on the United Nations and relevant regional blocs to convene a global summit focused specifically on the future of foreign military basing arrangements.
“The world must decide,” PeacePro concluded, “whether security will continue to be built on confrontation, or whether humanity is prepared to move toward cooperative coexistence.”
PeacePro has consistently led advocacy efforts for the demilitarization of Africa and the total shutdown of all foreign military bases across the continent.
