The Role of Parliamentary Committees in Building Accountable, Sustainable, and Professional Security Sectors

The Africa Center for Strategic Studies spoke to the Honorable Bertin Mubonzi, President of the Committee on Defense and Security of the National Assembly of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) as well as President of the Network of African Parliamentarians Members of Defense and Security Committees to explain the role of parliaments and parliamentary committees in holding the security sect. [...] But parliament also then has the obligation to control how these means are put to use and to ensure, in the case of the security institutions that we oversee, that things are being done to guarantee the security not only of our borders but also of the population we represent at the level of the National Assembly. [...] What is the specific role of defense committees in the construction of a legitimate and accountable security sector? How do such committees improve the effectiveness and professionalism of the security sector and citizen security? The role of the Committee on Defense and Security and of its president is similar to that of the Minister of Security and Defense, at the level of the National Assembly. [...] The network aims to: • Strengthen the capacities of parliamentarians in the field of democratic control of the defense and security forces, the fight against terrorism, civil protection, immigration, the arms trade, the fight against the proliferation of small arms and light weapons, etc. [...] • Establish cooperation and maintain a permanent dialogue with national and international institutions in charge of the defense and security sector, the regulation of the arms trade, international and regional mechanisms to combat the illicit proliferation of small arms and light weapons, defenders of human rights and all actors and partners interested in the issue of democratic control of the def.