The National Security Adviser (NSA), Malam Nuhu Ribadu, has said that terrorism in Africa was driven by foreign terrorists and fighters, organised crime, prolonged conflicts, drug trafficking, illicit arms trade, high youth unemployment, porous borders and inadequate policies.
The NSA, therefore, called for more integrated security strategies that combine military, economic and regional cooperation efforts to tackle the menace of terrorism in Africa.
Ribadu said this on Monday at the High-Level African Counter-Terrorism Meeting with the theme, ‘Strengthening Regional Cooperation and Institution Building to Address the Evolving Threat of Terrorism in Africa’, held in Abuja.
He said the theme of the meeting reflects the urgent need to confront the impacts of terrorism that had continued to disrupt lives and threaten the collective security of all.
The NSA said the year 2023 witnessed 22 per cent increase in terrorism related deaths in 41 countries.
Ribadu added that Africa’s security landscape has continued to face the challenges of terrorism and violent extremism, especially between 2020 and 2023.
He said the threats came from diverse terrorist groups such as Boko Haram and ISWAP in North-East Nigeria, al-Shabaab in Somalia and Islamic States in the Greater Sahara along the Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso border areas.
Others, he said, included the Allied Democratic Forces and Islamic State, Central African province in DRC Congo and Mozambique.
He added that the terrorist groups exploited local vulnerabilities and contributed to ongoing instability that necessitated integrated security strategies that combine military, economic and regional cooperation efforts.
“Additionally, political instability, governance challenges, ethnic and religious tensions, economic inequality and poverty also significantly contribute,” he added.
He, however, said that Nigeria has adopted strategies to address the threats within the country and in West Africa.
“In response, Nigeria has brought in its strategic approach to address these evolving threats comprehensively. We are executing a robust strategy to combat terrorism across Nigeria and West Africa.
”This strategy focuses on enhancing military and security cooperation, standardizing legal frameworks and improving local security measures.
“We are also implementing preventive measures, including programmes to counter violent extremism and initiatives for ballistic policies.
“Additionally, we are addressing the root causes of extremism through economy and social development initiatives and fostering regional and international cooperation.
“President Tinubu’s administration is dedicated to engaging communities through public awareness and media, aiming to maintain a secure and stable West African region through diverse and integrated approaches,” he said.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Yusuf Tuggar, said the values, freedoms, hopes and aspirations of the continent are currently facing unprecedented threats as a result of terrorism.
Tuggar said terrorists sought to destroy the institutions that facilitate stability, development and progress.
”Nations are fighting networks that know no boundaries or borders, where bombers and gunmen in one part of the world are financed from another, equipped from another, steal and picked targets without discrimination,” he added.
The foreign minister said Nigeria had for years pushed for greater cooperation to counter terrorism and tackle the proliferation of unregistered and untraceable small arms, which have reached 40 million in the hands of non-state actors in Africa.
“While initiatives like the Multinational Joint Task Force, UN Security Council Resolution 2349, Accra Initiative have been instrumental in addressing the threats of terrorism, the menace persists and there are new challenges.
“For this reason, today’s meeting is very significant indeed. It brings together a wide range of stakeholders within and beyond our continent to exchange best practices and knowledge.
“We need to understand better not just the particular threat we face, but to consider the underlying causes as well as the symptoms.
“Above all, we have the opportunity to come together as partners to defend our common values and the hopes and aspirations of our people from those who seek destruction and chaos,” Tuggar stated.
