Luanda -Angola's ambassador to Ethiopia and permanent representative to the African Union (AU) Miguel Bembe, on Wednesday in Abuja, praised the peace and security cooperation between the continental organization and the Economic Community of African States Western (ECOWAS).Luanda -Angola's ambassador to Ethiopia and permanent representative to the African Union (AU) Miguel Bembe, on Wednesday in Abuja, praised the peace and security cooperation between the continental organization and the Economic Community of African States Western (ECOWAS).
The Angolan diplomat made the statement, while presenting a motion of thanks at the end of the inaugural consultation meeting between the AU's Peace and Security Council (CPS) and the AU's Mediation and Security Council (CMS) of the ECOWAS, held in Abuja, Nigeria.
Bembe highlighted the importance of the initiative that allowed reiterating the need to adopt zero tolerance, deliberated by the continental organization in all situations of unconstitutional changes of government.
The diplomat emphasized the participants' desire to harmonize different approaches and respective dynamics at continental and regional level, and to promote collective advocacy aimed at mobilizing resources for mediation and preventive diplomacy initiatives, as well as for peace operations.
The meeting welcomed the African Union's decision to suspend six of its member states due to unconstitutional changes of government, namely Burkina Faso, Gabon, Guinea, Mali, Niger and Sudan.
He expressed great concern regarding the post-coup d'état situations that are becoming more complex due to the fact that the protagonists demonstrate huge reluctance to respond positively to regional and continental efforts aimed at ensuring harmonious transitions.
The participants recognized that the African continent can be classified as the epicenter of terrorism worldwide, given that five of the ten countries most affected by terrorism globally are located in Africa (Burkina Faso, Mali, Somalia, Nigeria and Niger).
According to data provided by the African Center for Studies and Research on Terrorism (ACSRT), in 2023 alone, Africa witnessed more than three thousand terrorist attacks, which resulted in more than 15,500 deaths, with a significant proportion of these tragedies that occurred in the Sahel region.
“The numbers reflect a sharp increase in both the frequency and fatality of attacks, which means a worrying escalation in the capabilities and reach of terrorist factions”, says the concept note of the joint meeting between the continental organization’s CPS and the ECOWAS CMS.
The document reveals that the Sahel region is facing a dramatic increase in terrorism and violent extremism, due to terrorist activities between 2007 and 2023, and that its risks of spreading on the continent are real by the increase and wave of unconstitutional changes of government and the political instability associated with them.
“From the Sahel region to the Horn of Africa, from the Lake Chad basin to the Great Lakes region, the attention of state authorities appears to have shifted from strengthening counter-terrorism operations to political security and the consolidation of power, thus offering a refuge to terrorist groups that enjoy freedom of movement in their mobility corridors”, reads the note.
Participants concluded that frequent terrorist attacks in some countries on the continent have created a precarious environment that facilitates the spread of terrorist groups, which exploit local grievances, weak governance structures and socioeconomic disparities to expand their networking.
VIC/CF/AMP
