Earth Science News
AFRICA NEWS
African leaders call for more cooperation on terrorism
Reuters Events SMR and Advanced Reactor 2025
African leaders call for more cooperation on terrorism
by AFP Staff Writers
Abuja (AFP) April 22, 2024

Africa leaders called for more regional cooperation in fighting terrorism on Monday at a summit to look for African-led solutions to the continent's security challenges, including creating a possible regional military force.

Starting in Mali, Islamist militants have gained ground in the Sahel, expanding further south to threaten West African coastal states while more groups are battling in the Horn of Africa, Lake Chad and Democratic Republic of Congo.

"The epicentre of terrorism has shifted from Middle East and North Africa into sub-Saharan Africa concentrated largely in the Sahel," UN Deputy Secretary General Amina Mohammed told the counter-terrorism summit in Abuja.

"The situation particularly in the Sahel is dire... the region now accounting for almost half of all deaths from terrorism globally."

Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu joined his counterparts Ghana's President Nana Akufo-Addo and Togolese President Faure Gnassingbe to urge more regional cooperation, intelligence sharing and work to create a standby military force.

"Such a force can stand as a strong deterrent to large-scale and protracted terrorist operations," Tinubu said.

Several African countries already cooperate in a multi-national joint military task force in the Lake Chad border areas.

Togo's Gnassingbe also called on the international community to do a better job in helping African nations finance their counter-terrorism operations.

Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali have been battered by years of conflict with Al-Qaeda- and Islamic State-allied jihadist groups but coups in all three have also hampered regional cooperation.

Last month, Niger said 23 of its troops had been killed in a "terrorist" ambush near the borders with Burkina Faso and Mali in an area where jihadist attacks are common.

But increasingly the violence has spread to the borders of coastal Gulf of Guinea countries, Ghana, Togo, Benin and Ivory Coast.

The withdrawal of French troops from the Sahel has heightened concern over the spread of violence.

One major concern is the millions of small arms in the hands of non-state groups in the continent, Nigeria's Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar said.

But he said African states also face new challenges in fighting jihadists such as the impact of the climate, the breakdown of cooperation with some nations, social media fake news and unregulated money transfers through crypto.

"Today the challenge of fighting terrorism is different in scale... We are fighting networks that know no boundaries or borders," he said.

"Africa finds itself on the front of everyone's war."

Related Links
Africa News - Resources, Health, Food

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
AFRICA NEWS
Mauritanian defence minister in Mali after diplomatic row
Nouakchott (AFP) April 21, 2024
Mauritania's defence minister arrived in Mali on Saturday for talks with the junta leader, both sides confirmed, as the neighbours look to defuse a dispute over cross-border violence. About two weeks earlier, Mauritania accused Mali and Russia's Wagner mercenary group of pursing armed men across the border into Mauritanian territory. Following the incident, Bamako sent a high-level delegation to Nouakchott to try to calm tensions. "Several of our civilian compatriots were killed by the Malian ar ... read more

AFRICA NEWS
Wine growers 'on tip of Africa' race to adapt to climate change

Waste not want not: Peruvian drive to feed more with less

Record heat rots cocoa beans threatening Ivory Coast agriculture

Farmers dump sheep killed by wolves in front of Swiss government building

AFRICA NEWS
As Olympics near, Macron says Seine will be clean enough for him

Plastic pollution impacts embryo survival across multiple marine species

Norway women bring seaweed to culinary heights in Europe

Drought-hit Barcelona to get floating desalination plant

AFRICA NEWS
Colombian court recognizes environmental refugees

Oases expand but face threats from desertification and climate change

'Staggering' number of workers facing climate change-induced health hazards: UN

Last glacial maximum data suggests reduced likelihood of extreme global warming

AFRICA NEWS
Solar energy adoption challenges in rural Ethiopia

The role of Floating Solar in achieving Africa's energy targets as an alternative to dams

Buck the Duck Curve: California's Bold Leap Towards Solar Empowerment

'Ancient Roman' solar roof tiles power Pompeii villa

AFRICA NEWS
Transforming CO2 into green fuel with innovative sunlight-powered catalyst

Turning CO2 into Methanol at Room Temperature

Tripling the US Bioeconomy: The Billion-Ton Report's Blueprint for Sustainable Biomass

Greenhouse gas repurposed in University of Auckland experiments

AFRICA NEWS
Ecuador approves extradition, anti-gang measures

Asia hit hardest by climate, weather disasters in 2023:UN

Post-WWII order on 'brink of collapse': Amnesty head

Satellite data reveals subsidence risk for a third of China's urban population

AFRICA NEWS
Momentick raises funds to advance satellite-based GHG emission tracking

Congo's oil legacy: A historical perspective on resource extraction and national destiny

Turkey's Erdogan in rare Iraq visit to discuss water, oil, security

Oil, gas drilling blocked in Alaska wilds as Biden seeks green cred

AFRICA NEWS
Taiwan's Lai says US military aid package will 'deter authoritarianism'

Splashy Saudi mega-project NEOM chases Chinese funds

Asian stocks rise on earnings optimism as US data approaches

Maldives vows China-backed building boom, Indians out

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.