During its 26-year history, the Africa Center has worked on multiple important occasions with the Network of African Parliamentarians for Defense and Security Committees (REPAM-CDS) to enhance the joint work between executive and legislative branch institutions that help national governments in African countries provide effective security for citizens. Over the years, a considerable number of officials in REPAM-CDS have also been in the Africa Center alumni network. There is also a longer history of interaction. First, in the late 2000s, leaders from the REPAM-CDS network made formative contributions to several Africa Center workshops on civil-military relations, where they dialogued with uniformed and civilian defense officials to share strategic viewpoints and strengthen mutual institutional understandings about the security sector. Second, within the last five years, multiple REPAM-CDS Presidents and other distinguished members of the network have generously provided substantive and practical contributions to Africa Center initiatives to enhance burden sharing between the United States and its African partners on global defense concerns like counterterrorism.
In this interview, we hear about these themes from Honorable Rubens Mikindo, who is a current member of REPAM-CDS and a distinguished alumnus of the Africa Center. He currently serves as the Chairperson of the Defense and Security Committee in the National Assembly of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Please introduce yourself to the Africa Center community.
My name is Rubens Mikindo Muhima. I am a National Deputy in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Chair of the Defense and Security Committee of the National Assembly.
The Africa Center is delighted to welcome you into the alumni community following your participation in the program “Forum on Security Governance in East Africa: Parliamentary Oversight of the Security Sector for Counterterrorism,” held in April 2025 in Nairobi, Kenya. Could you tell us about the initiatives or projects you are currently working on in this field?
Thank you for the warm welcome into the alumni community.
At present, I am advocating for the alignment and plenary review of the bill ratifying Ordinance-Law No. 24/002 of January 22, 2024, which authorizes the ratification of the African Union Convention on the Prevention and Combating of Terrorism. I am hopeful that this bill will be examined during the resumption of the parliamentary session in March 2026.
On behalf of the Defense and Security Committee, I summoned the Ministers responsible for Interior and Security and for National Defense before the Committee in late December 2025 to address several issues, including counterterrorism efforts in the eastern part of the country. However, due to the confidential nature of the resulting report, I am unable to provide further details.
I am also working on the terms of reference for a workshop on terrorism prevention in the DRC, which is planned for the second half of 2026.
In addition, I am preparing an advocacy initiative focused, first, on the establishment in the DRC of an International Academy for Counterterrorism, similar to the model in Côte d’Ivoire, and second, on the implementation of a national counterterrorism center, as exists in Nigeria.
How have counterterrorism and its prevention been integrated into your work in eastern DRC?
The prevention of and fight against terrorism are priorities of my mandate as Chair of the Defense and Security Committee, as well as my responsibilities as a deputy representing North Kivu Province, part of which faces repeated attacks by the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF).
To date, I have undertaken five visits to Beni, the capital of North Kivu, to closely monitor the strengths and weaknesses of the mechanisms established to combat terrorism in eastern DRC.
I conducted my first visit with the Minister responsible for Interior and Security. During another visit, I took the risk of traveling to the town of Oicha in North Kivu, an area frequently targeted by ADF terrorists. This mission of solidarity with the population was carried out alongside the Military Governor of North Kivu.
This fieldwork enables me to make pragmatic recommendations to the executive branch aimed at curbing terrorism in this part of the country.
You participated in the seminar on oversight by Defense Committees and their coordination with the executive branch in counterterrorism efforts, alongside colleagues from the REPAM-CDS network. Several REPAM-CDS members are also Africa Center alumni. What potential synergies do you see between the activities of these two continent-wide networks?
It is necessary to further strengthen collaboration between the two networks. Organizing forums that bring together participants from both networks could reinforce these synergies, ultimately enabling the conduct of targeted assessments of counterterrorism prevention and response efforts across Africa.
REPAM-CDS held its eighth annual conference in Abuja, Nigeria, in July 2025 under the theme “Security and Governance of Natural Resources in Africa: Parliamentarians Confronting New International Security Dynamics.” What recommendations were put forward by you and your colleagues, and how can Africa Center alumni in the security sector contribute to their implementation?
At my level, the recommendations focused primarily on the need to rethink African regional organizations, which are often passive in the face of security challenges, despite being expected to serve as effective instruments capable of addressing the dynamics of interstate conflicts on the continent.
Other colleagues emphasized the importance of supporting initiatives that strengthen dialogue among states in order to prevent wars that undermine Africa’s ability to achieve sustainable development.
Africa Center alumni in the security sector can contribute their expertise to revitalizing parliamentary diplomacy.
Peace and stability in the DRC and in other conflict-affected countries around the world often require coordinated and sustained efforts to combat crimes linked to natural resources, including illicit trafficking of minerals and timber, as well as associated money laundering. In your view, what solutions can Africa Center alumni help catalyze to address these challenges?
In terms of possible solutions, Africa Center alumni, given their professional backgrounds, can assess the strengths and weaknesses of existing mechanisms to combat natural resource–related crimes worldwide and propose improvements to those mechanisms that have demonstrated limitations.
How do you envision the evolution of security challenges in Africa over the next 25 years, as well as U.S.–Africa security relations?
The evolution of security challenges in Africa over the next 25 years will depend on improvements in governance across African states, with the aim of suppressing all forms of rebellion and terrorism that often use poor governance as a pretext; on policies governing the management of strategic mineral resources; and on climate security policies, given the risks of migration linked to the search for arable land and water.
The evolution of U.S.–Africa security relations will depend on U.S. foreign policy toward Africa. The more the United States becomes directly involved in peace initiatives and large-scale economic projects in Africa, the lower the likelihood of geopolitical tensions.