'African conflicts fuelled by global bullies,' says Mugabe

President Robert Mugabe has accused Western countries of inflaming conflicts on the African continent under the disguise of peacekeeping and end up unilaterally removing elected governments, the Herald said on Monday.

Speaking during his presentation in the peace and security plenary session at the ongoing Fifth Tokyo International Conference for African Development (TICAD) in Japan, Mugabe said the West had no business sending peacekeeping forces to Africa when the continent had its own structures for that purpose.

He said foreigners intervened in developing countries pretending to be peacekeepers when they had a neo-colonial agenda.

"There is another equally compelling aspect of the peace and stability debate on our continent," said Mugabe.

"Over many years, Africa has painstakingly constructed its own peace and security architecture with early warning training and standby military structures both at sub regional and continental levels.

"Although still underfunded and under equipped, these structures have served the continent well, helping to diffuse tensions where these have arisen and helping to contain conflicts in those areas where sadly hostilities have occurred."

Mugabe said in spite of the available peace and security structures, Africa had many conflicts fuelled by the "global bullies who then manipulate the whole continent for selfish interests".

He said no country had a right to abuse its power through military intervention.

Mugabe said Africa could not accept that foreign troops had the responsibility of peace and stability on the continent.

The foreign troops, he said, should not use the instability of the continent as a justification for their intervention.