Luanda - Angola is taking part in a high-level African conference against terrorism, extreme violence against communities and unconstitutional changes from taking place in Abuja, Nigeria on April 22, 23.
Angola’s Minister of Defence, João Ernesto dos Santos "Liberdade", leads a delegation that includes the head of the Military Intelligence and Security Services, general João Pereira Massano, and Angola's ambassador to the African Union Miguel César Bembe and Angola's ambassador to Nigeria José Bamoquina Zau.
The high-level conference is divided into four panels opened by the President of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Other interventions are expected from the chairperson of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, from the deputy secretary-general of the United Nations, Amina Mohammed and the chairperson of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Omar Alieu Touray, among others.
In the first panel of the conference, the participants focused on taking a closer look at the evolution of terrorist threats in Africa, the emergence of groups with military capacity and the deficit in the fight against terrorism.
The spread of terrorism, armed conflicts, fragile borders and laws, social and economic challenges and poor governance could generate discussions to design strategies to mitigate the impact of terrorism on member states.
The second panel of the conference looks at combating terrorism and preventing extremist violence with focus to get the best regional and global counter-terrorism experiences that enable the promotion of human rights, the state of lwa, gender equity and sustainable development.
It will propose the integration of terrorism fight, violence extremism, organized crime and the role of traditional and religious leaders in a broader development agenda that includes poverty alleviation, education and youth empowerment.
The third and fourth panel will reinforce regional capacities and international cooperation in fighting terrorism and unconstitutional changes of government, while practical, rapid and priority mechanisms will be outlined to provide a collective response to terrorism, extremism, organized crime and unconstitutional changes.
Sharing of transnational information, without jeopardizing the protection of sovereignty, will be another topic of consensus between the multilateral parties to the conference.
Angola's challenges
The Abuja conference against terrorism, extreme violence and unconstitutional change is the result of a proposal by the Angolan Head of State, João Lourenço, Champion of Peace and Reconciliation of the African Union, during the Summit of Heads of State held in May 2022 in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea.
Angola's position and its challenges for the pacification of the Great Lakes has generated a lot of expectation in the African Union, which Nigeria is responding with this high-level conference on combat against terrorism on the continent.
João Ernesto dos Santos is expected to meet with some African counterparts on the sidelines of the conference.
ART/MRA/AMP
