The Foundation for Peace Professionals (PeacePro), an African peacebuilding organization, has called on the African Union (AU) to urgently investigate Russia’s claims that the U.S. is conducting covert biological research in Africa.
Deputy Secretary of the Russian Security Council, Alexey Shevtsov, had accused the U.S. of operating biological programmes in several African nations, including Ghana, Djibouti, Kenya, and Nigeria.
Shevtsov said the programmes which allegedly involve pathogen isolation, sequencing, and research could potentially lead to the development of ethnic-specific biological weapons.
In a statement released on Wednesday, Executive Director of PeacePro, Abdulrazaq Hamzat, expressed deep concern over the geopolitical implications of the accusations and their potential impact on African sovereignty and security.
“The African Union must rise to the occasion by commissioning an independent investigation to verify these claims. The peace and well-being of over a billion Africans cannot be left at the mercy of unverified geopolitical assertions,” the statement read.
PeacePro called on Africa to assert its independence in global matters, stating that the continent cannot afford to be a battleground for superpower rivalries.
Russia’s allegations include the establishment of a U.S. military medical center in Kenya to monitor infectious diseases in Central Africa, Joint medical research programs in Nigeria, reportedly involving 10 specialists from the U.S. Department of Defense and Pathogen research initiatives in Ghana and Djibouti.
While the U.S. has yet to respond to these allegations, PeacePro noted that the accusations demand urgent clarification, given their potential ramifications for public health and regional stability.
“We cannot allow Africa to be used as a laboratory for experiments or as a theatre for geopolitical confrontations,” Hamzat said.
The group urged African leaders to prioritize the security of the continent by demanding accountability from both the U.S. and Russia.
PeacePro called on the AU to collaborate with international organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO), independent scientific bodies, and African research institutions to investigate the matter in order to ensure impartiality and trust.
AU Asked To Probe Russian Claims Of U.S Bio-Labs In Nigeria, Others is first published on The Whistler Newspaper
