By Ken Afor
In a forceful opening address at the African High-Level Meeting on Counter-Terrorism, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu urged fellow African leaders to take a decisive and unified action against the evolving threat of terrorism on the continent.
He made the call on Monday, April 22, 2024, in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital city, at the two-day meeting, with the theme, “Strengthening Religional Cooperation And Institution Building To Address The Evolving Threat of Terrorism in Africa.”
Addressing delegates from across Africa, Tinubu declared that terrorism is an “imported evil” that seeks to undermine democracy, peace and prosperity.
He vowed that Africa will “banish” this violent scourge rather than allowing it to “bend and break” the nations of the continent.
“Terrorism snipes at the very fabric of the tranquil, prosperous and just societies we seek to build for ourselves and our children,” Tinubu stated. “Terror cannot co-exist in the same space as democracy and good governance.”
The Nigerian leader called for a comprehensive approach, combining efforts to address root causes like poverty and marginalisation, while also disrupting terrorism’s financing through illicit activities like illegal mining. He specifically criticised international money fueling such illegal operations.
A major focus of Tinubu’s speech was accelerating the establishment of regional counter-terrorism structures and forces endorsed by the African Union. He urged fully operationalising the Regional Counter-Terrorism Centre to serve as a hub for intelligence sharing, coordination and capacity building.
The president also prioritised strengthening existing bodies like the Regional Intelligence Fusion Unit in Abuja, the African Centre for the Study and Research on Terrorism in Algiers, Algeria, and the Committee of Intelligence and Security Services of Africa in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
He advocated for advancing the long-stalled creation of an AU Regional Standby Force capable of rapid deployments against major terrorist threats.
“Key to our collective efforts against terrorism is the urgent need for a fully-operational Regional Counter-Terrorism Centre. This centre will serve as a hub for intelligence sharing, operational coordination, and capacity building throughout our region, Tinubu said.
“Additionally, we must strengthen existing counter-terrorism structures such as the Regional Intelligence Fusion Unit (RIFU) Abuja, the African Centre for the Study and Research on Terrorism (ACSRT) in Algiers and the Committee of Intelligence and Security Services of Africa (CISSA) in Addis Ababa.
“A Regional Standby Force that includes tackling terrorism as part of its mandate must not be abandoned. I am mindful of the funding, legal and logistical complexities that face the proper establishment of such a force.
“However, with a prudent and clearly defined mandate that accords with the international law and respects national sovereignty, such a force can serve as a rapid deployment mechanism, capable of swiftly responding to major threats and bolstering the security of our region.
“Such a force can stand as a strong deterrent to large scale and protracted terrorist operations and the capture, occupation or disruption of strategic land and resources. We must continue to make careful yet meaningful progress toward this goal.”
Besides, Tinubu proposed the establishment of “an all-inclusive African Union Ministerial Committee on Counter- Terrorism is also a high priority as envisaged in the Declaration of the 16th Extraordinary Summit of the African Union Assembly two years ago in May 2022.”
“This would ensure that a forum of high-level government officials meets regularly to assess our counter-terrorism efforts and provide guidance on how to improve,” he said.
Domestically, Tinubu highlighted Nigeria’s counter-terrorism efforts, including the new Terrorism Prevention and Prohibition Act and National Counter- Terrorism Centre to detect, prevent and respond to threats. He commended the courage of Nigerian security forces, declaring, “They are the best of the best.”
In his closing remarks, President Tinubu emphasised the urgency of the crisis, stating, “We must show our respective populations that we, as leaders, we must do more than speak nice words; we must leave here with real results.”
The New Diplomat reports that the United Nations Deputy Secretary-General, Ms Amina Mohammed; the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu; and the Under-Secretary-General for Counter-Terrorism (UNOC), Mr. Vladimir Voronkov, are expected to deliver concluding remarks at the end of the summit.
