African Union (AU) Chiefs of Defence Staff and Ministers of Defence have agreed on the need to enhance cooperation to increase the effectiveness of member states’ action against threats of terrorism.
This is contained in a statement issued in Abuja on Friday by the Acting Director of Defence Information, Col. Rabe Abubakar.
The statement said that the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Gabriel Olonisakin, presented Nigeria’s counter-insurgency report at the forum holding in Bamako, Mali.
It said that the meeting would strengthen cooperation in furtherance of multinational approach to fight against terrorism that was ravaging African regions.
“The meeting is aimed at engendering participants to partner on the enhancement of security cooperation and the conceptualisation of the African Peace and Security Architecture in the Sahel-Saharan region.
“The meeting will discuss terrorism which has become a global problem and requires collective approach toward addressing the menace.’’
It said the meeting was also focusing on threats posed by Boko Haram in Nigeria and other member countries of the Lake Chad Basin Commission and the threats of Al-Shabab in Central Africa.
“This is to promote a shared assessment of the threats and risks in the affected regions.
“The meeting proposes to classify the threats and risks in the regions into four major categories which include Terrorism, Organised crime (Drugs, Arms and Human Trafficking), Illegal Immigration and Separatism.’’
It said the meeting marked a new phase in the promotion of regional security and a united front by AU members in the fight against terrorism.
Olonisakin, since assumption of office, has been working round the clock and collaborating with other countries to tackle insecurity and terrorism in the sub-region.
