African Integrity Magazine – African Leaders Close Ranks Against Terrorism

African Leaders Close Ranks Against Terrorism

Nov 17, 2014 Samuel Africa News 0

African leaders are giving consideration of establishing a special fund to be specifically used for tackling terrorism.

The proposal for the special fund was made by President Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya, in his welcome remarks during the 455th African Union Peace and Security Council (AUPSC) meeting held in Nairobi, Kenya.

He equally challenged African governments to take the issue of anti-terrorism funding seriously and complement this with the support coming from partners and friends outside the continent.

Fielding questions from journalist at the end of the meeting, President Goodluck Jonathan and the Chairperson of the council, President Idriss Debby of Chad, assured that Kenyatta’s proposal would be tabled for discussion at the next AU summit.

They said that the idea was the best way Africans could solve its problems locally, since it remained the responsibility of the continent to do so.

According to a statement issued at the end of the summit, the council, warned African countries against the payment of ransom and encouragement of financial terrorism.

The council also urged member states to ensure their territories are not used as recruitment grounds for terrorists. It insisted that the fundamental human rights of civilians must be upheld at all times in the fight against terrorism.

President Jonathan had urged African leaders to adopt an “action-oriented approach” against the activities of terrorists with a view to stopping them from the continued massacre of innocent people.

He regretted the increasing wave of violence perpetrated by Boko Haram, Al-Shabaab and Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). But he noted that the AU had enough resources in terms of legal, political and normative instruments to deal with the rising sophistication of terrorist, adding that the task ahead was to ensure the effective use of the instruments.

The president who read the speech of the African Union (AU) Chairman, Mohammed Ould Abdel Aziz of Mauritania on the occasion, called on African countries to fulfill earlier commitments with respect to legal measures, border control and exchange of intelligence, as part of the joint efforts to end terrorism on the continent.

He said: “While both member states and the commission deserve to be commended for their commitment and efforts, nonetheless, much remains to be done. The atrocities that continue to be committed by the terrorist groups active in the Sahel-Saharan region, Boko Haram, the LRA, Al-Shabaab and other terrorist groups, bear testimony to the long road ahead of us.”

Source: The Guardian