Addis Ababa - Angola's ambassador to Ethiopia and permanent representative to the African Union (AU) and UNECA, Miguel Bembe, on Wednesday praised cooperation on peace and security issues between the continental organisation and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
Presenting a motion of thanks at the end of the inaugural meeting of consultations between the AU Peace and Security Council (PSC) and the ECOWAS Mediation and Security Council (MSSC), held in Abuja, Nigeria, the Angolan diplomat highlighted the importance of the initiative, which made it possible to reiterate the need to observe zero tolerance deliberated by the continental organization in all situations of unconstitutional changes of government.
Miguel Bembe stressed the participants' desire to harmonize the 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.
It therefore expressed great concern about the post-coup situations, which are becoming more complex as the protagonists are extremely reluctant to respond positively to regional and continental efforts to ensure smooth transitions.
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 in Africa (Burkina Faso, Mali, Somalia, Nigeria and Niger, in descending order of magnitude).
According to data provided by the African Centre for the Study and Research on Terrorism (ACSRT), in 2023 alone, Africa saw more than 3,000 terrorist attacks, resulting in more than 15,500 deaths, with a significant proportion of these tragedies occurring in the Sahel region.
"The figures reflect a marked increase in both the frequency and fatality of attacks, signifying a worrying escalation in the capabilities and reach of terrorist factions," says the concept note from the joint meeting between the continental organization’s PSC and ECOWAS' CMS.
The document revealed that the Sahel 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 further exacerbated by the increase and spate 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 seems to have shifted from strengthening counter-terrorism operations to political security and the consolidation of power, thus offering a haven to terrorist groups that enjoy freedom of movement in their mobility corridors," reads the note.
The participants in the event concluded that the frequent terrorist attacks in some countries on the continent, aggravated by political instability, including multiple coups d'état, and the humanitarian crisis, have created a precarious environment that facilitates the spread of terrorist groups.
These groups exploit local grievances, weak governance structures and socio-economic disparities to expand their influence, combining traditional terror tactics with organized crime to finance their operations and strengthen their operational capacities.
The meeting, which was attended by the AU and ECOWAS Commissioners for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Nigeria's Bankole Adeoy and Ghana's Abdel-Fatau Musahr respectively , was co-chaired by Gambia's Permanent Representative to the continental organization, Jainaba Jagne, who chairs the PSC this April, and Nigeria's Permanent Representative to ECOWAS and Chairman of the CMS, Musa Nuhu. ART/TED/AMP
