How to defeat terrorism in Africa, by Tinubu
PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has called on African countries to conscientiously tackle poverty, inequality and social injustice as root causes of terrorism.
He equally canvassed the establishment of a regional counter- terrorism centre to serve as a hub for intelligence sharing, operational coordination and capacity building on the continent.
At the African high- level meeting on Counter- Terrorism in Abuja, yesterday, Tinubu stated that the continent must take a comprehensive approach to combat violence, not only through might, but by addressing the aforementioned root causes.
He stressed that while seeking to address the causes of terrorism, Africa must also attack the roots that feed the evil branch – ransom and illegal mining – as the scourge evolves and perfects ways to continuously finance, reequip, and re- supply itself for a sinister mission.
His words: “Not only does it kidnap people, but it also kidnaps precious resources. Billions upon billions of dollars that legitimate governments should be using to sculpt better societies by providing education, healthcare and food for their people now go to pay for weapons and response to mayhem.
“Look at the illegal mining that plagues so many of our nations today. Those who think illegal mining has no connection with financing terrorism are sorely mistaken. The international community has both the moral and legal obligation to help in this cause because it is external finance, not African money, that fuels these illegal operations. We shall be knocking on the door of the international community to answer this call for justice, peace and fair play. “Key to our collective efforts against terrorism is the urgent need for a fully operational Regional Counter- Terrorism Centre.” The President stated that the continent must strengthen existing counter- terrorism structures such as the Regional Intelligence Fusion Unit ( RIFU) in 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.
He underscored the importance of a regional standby force that includes tackling terrorism as part of its mandate, declaring: “It must not be abandoned.”
The Nigerian leader continued: “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 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.