Federal Government don raise alarm say terrorist groups across Africa dey use new technologies to expand their operations. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, raise the concern inside statement wey ministry issue on Friday. She talk am after her remarks at opening of Consultative Forum on Strengthening the Functional Performance of the African Union Peace and Security Architecture in Abuja.
According to her, armed groups dey increasingly use new technologies in their operations and dey fund their activities through transnational organised crime and illicit financial flows. She decry the growing wave of terrorism on African continent. She note say armed groups dey adopt new technologies to carry out operations and dey use proceeds of transnational organised crime to finance their activities.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu call on African countries to take greater responsibility for addressing continent security challenges. She point to growing terrorism, regional security threats and weaknesses inside existing security frameworks. Against this background, she call for “a stronger, better funded and self-reliant African peace and security architecture” wey go fit address continent evolving security challenges.
The minister urge African states to strengthen intelligence sharing, improve early warning systems and support African-led mediation efforts to prevent conflicts and respond to emerging threats. She urge them to strengthen the Continental Early Warning System, African mediatory initiatives and the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM). She also call for greater attention to local grievances, youth unemployment and community resilience, noting need to address issues wey fit contribute to insecurity.
She underscore importance of building enduring national peace infrastructures and enhancing intelligence sharing among African states to improve continent response to security threats. Odumegwu-Ojukwu stress importance of rehabilitation and reintegration programmes for people affected by terrorism. She encourage African countries to use the African Union Counter-Terrorism Centre to coordinate counter-terrorism efforts across the continent.
She stress need for increased support for rehabilitation and reintegration programmes and encourage African countries to leverage the African Union Counter-Terrorism Centre (AUTC) for coordination of continental counter-terrorism efforts. She further call for predictable funding for African Union-led peace operations, stressing need to strengthen the AU Peace Fund and complement am with international funding commitments, including support from the United Nations.
Speaking on relationship between AU Peace Fund and international funding commitments, including those of United Nations, the minister emphasise need to “institutionalise predictable financing for AU-led operations.” Odumegwu-Ojukwu say implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2719 go help strengthen peace support operations in Africa. She also call for full operation of the African Standby Force and regional standby forces to improve continent capacity to respond to security threats.
The minister call for enhanced peace support operations through implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2719, as well as full operationalisation of the African Standby Force (ASF) and regional standby forces. Odumegwu-Ojukwu express hope say the two-day consultative forum go produce practical recommendations to improve Africa ability to prevent conflicts, respond to emerging security threats and promote lasting peace. She express optimism say forum go produce practical and implementable recommendations to strengthen Africa collective capacity to prevent conflicts, respond to emerging threats and promote sustainable peace and security.
The forum focus on four key areas: mediation and preventive diplomacy, early warning and response, counter-terrorism, and peace support operations. According to minister, recommendations are expected to improve security coordination, strengthen funding for peace operations and build capacity of African institutions to address continent security challenges.
