The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has urged West African leaders to put in place a regional vehicle to address trans-border crimes and terrorism, which he said had reached unprecedented heights.
He also challenged the sub-region to enhance its intelligence sharing in ways that built confidence, strengthened solidarity and enhanced collective problem-solving.
Mr Ablakwa quoted statistics indicating that about 44 people died daily due to terrorist attacks in the sub-region from eight terrorists attacks daily.
Addressing a two-day high-level consultative conference on Regional Cooperation and Security in Accra yesterday, the minister said reports suggested that the epicentre of global terrorism had shifted from the Middle East to West Africa, with significant increase of attacks and death tolls over the last 15 years.
“The epicentre of global terrorism has moved from the Middle East to our region. We now account for at least 47 to 59 per cent of all recorded global terrorism.
“The grave statistics continue that, over the last 15 years, our region has seen an increase by 1,266 per cent in terror attacks, and the death toll has also gone up by a staggering 2,860 per cent.
That is the grim reality we face,” he said.
The minister recounted that on his way to the event, the Nigerien Minister of Foreign Affairs excused himself from the conference due to an attack at the airport in Niamey, Niger, last Wednesday.
Event
The conference is being attended by security chiefs and diplomats from the West Africa sub-region.
The event
Among issues being discussed are security and other related challenges affecting the region, including terrorism, violent extremism, transnational organised crime and maritime insecurity in the Gulf of Guinea.
The session which was chaired by the National Security Coordinator, Commissioner of Police (COP) Osman Abdul-Razak, was attended by the Interior Minister, Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak, and Ghana’s Special Envoy to the Alliance of Sahelian States, Larry Gbevlo Lartey, among others.
It would provide a platform for the leaders to have consultations on the security and humanitarian situation in the region; review existing initiatives on peace, security, governance and discuss practical and sustainable frameworks for enhanced regional cooperation.
The conference, which commenced with meetings of senior officials and ministers, would culminate in a summit of participating Heads of State and Governments from the region in Accra today.
Mr Ablakwa further said that “the challenges we face are not confined to a single nation. Extremism in the Sahel, piracy in the Gulf of Guinea, trafficking across borders, and the silent erosion of resilience in our communities are threats that transcend national borders”.
He said the consistent attacks in the region served as a reminder that “our strength lies in unity, in pulling our wisdom, and in the courage to act together”.
The minister added that it was totally unacceptable that the region did not have an agreed regional vehicle to address the trans-border challenge; underscoring the essence of the conference.
He also urged leaders to be prepared to commit to resource mobilisation, as solutions would not come from outside the sub-region or the continent.
Strategic directions
For his part, the Minister for the Interior, Mr Mohammed-Mubarak, said regional and sub-regional mechanisms required renewed strategic direction, enhanced coordination and a fundamental shift in perspective.
He said security situations could no longer be addressed predominantly through a narrow military and intelligence lens, but with a comprehensive regionally owned cooperation framework in which development and security were mutually reinforcing pillars.
The minister said, Ghana was facing the brunt of transnational and organised crime, such as illegal migration, smuggling, drug trafficking and cybercrime.
He, however, said that through intelligence gathering and inter-agency collaboration, the country had struck successes in making some arrests, although there was still more work to be done.
Source:
www.graphic.com.gh
