By Stephen Angbulu
President Bola Tinubu, on Monday, linked terrorism financing to illegal mining.
“Look at the illegal mining that plagues so many of our nations today. Those who think illegal mining has no connection with financing terrorism are sorely mistaken,” Tinubu said.
He spoke at the African High-level Meeting on Counter-Terrorism in Abuja on Monday.
Representatives of about 32 African Member States (at the Ministerial and National Security Adviser levels) participated in the two-day meeting.
Other participants include heads of African regional organisations, international partners, United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Coordination Compact entities, and civil society partners.
The Nigerian President said there was a need for international collaboration to dismantle the financing network of terrorists.
To effectively trace and block terror financing, Tinubu said the international community bears a “moral and legal obligation” to help because “it is external finance, not African money, that fuels these illegal operations.”
“We shall be knocking on this door of the international community to answer this call for justice, peace, and fair play,” he added.
Tinubu also called for the creation of a regional standby force and a counter-terrorism centre to degrade the activities of terrorists in Africa’s most troubled spots.
He said the counter-terrorism centre will be a hub for intelligence sharing, operational coordination and capacity building throughout Africa.
The Nigerian leader cited ransom-taking and illegal mining as “evil branches” nourished by “root causes” such as poverty, inequality and social injustice, which finance, re-equip and re-supply terrorist networks all over the continent.
“Key to our collective efforts against terrorism is the urgent need for a fully operational Regional Counter-Terrorism Centre,” Tinubu told
He argued that “a (regional) force can serve as a rapid deployment mechanism, capable of swiftly responding to major threats and bolstering the security of our region.”
The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, revealed Tinubu’s position in a statement titled: ‘President Tinubu calls for regional counter-terrorism centre, says Africa must address poverty, social injustice.’
Tinubu’s comments follow the increasing sophistication of terrorist networks and their affiliates across Africa, especially the Sahel.
In its quarterly Africa Terrorism Report for Q1 2023, the African Centre for the Study and Research on Terrorism revealed that Da’esh, Al-Qaeda, and their affiliates have intensified their attacks across the continent by exploiting instability and conflict emanating from local grievances.
In the first three quarters of 2023, Africa recorded 2,122 terrorist attacks, resulting in over 12,000 fatalities, predominantly civilians.
The most prominent among these groups are the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara, operating in the Sahel; the Islamic State West Africa Province, active in the Lake Chad Basin; while Al-Qaeda-affiliated Jama’a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin has progressively extended its reach towards the Gulf of Guinea.
President Tinubu reasoned that Africa must, therefore, take a comprehensive approach to combating terrorism, not only through might but by addressing the root causes of the scourge.
“Not only does it kidnap people, it kidnaps precious resources. Billions upon billions of dollars that legitimate governments should be using to sculpt better societies by providing education, healthcare, and food for its people now go to pay for weapons and response to mayhem.
Tinubu asked African heads of state and government to “strengthen existing counter-terrorism structures, such as the Regional Intelligence Fusion Unit in Abuja, the African Centre for the Study and Research on Terrorism in Algiers, and the Committee of Intelligence and Security Services of Africa in Addis Ababa.”
He underscored the importance of a regional standby force that includes tackling terrorism as part of its mandate, declaring: “It must not be abandoned.”
“I am mindful of the funding, legal, and logistical complexities that face the proper establishment of such a force.
“However, with a prudent and clearly defined mandate that accords with international law and respects national sovereignty, such a force can serve as a rapid deployment mechanism, capable of swiftly responding to major threats and bolstering the security of our region.
“Such a force can stand as a strong deterrent to large-scale and protracted terrorist operations and the capture, occupation or disruption of strategic land and resources. We must continue to make careful yet meaningful progress toward this goal,” said Tinubu.
He also advocated the establishment of an all-inclusive African Union Ministerial Committee on Counter-Terrorism, calling it a “high priority”, as envisaged in the Declaration of the 16th Extraordinary Summit of the African Union Assembly in May 2022.
“This would ensure that a forum of high-level government officials meets regularly to assess our counter-terrorism efforts and provide guidance on improving further,” the President said.
He announced that Nigeria is rising to the challenge of beating the menace by enhancing its counter-terrorism capabilities by enacting the Terrorism Prevention and Prohibition Act and establishing the National Counter Terrorism Centre.
He explained that the NCTC is “dedicated to coordinating and implementing counter-terrorism strategies” to significantly enhance the country’s capacity to detect, prevent, and respond to terrorist threats.
“The centre has become a platform, fostering greater collaboration among stakeholders and promoting synergy in our approach to fighting terrorism.
“Similarly, our security forces continue to demonstrate courage and dedication in the fight against terrorism, often at great personal risk. I am grateful for the selfless work and sacrifice of these patriotic men and women. They are the best of the best,” he commended.
Tinubu also highlighted the need to halt the proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons on the continent, saying, “No one state can solve this problem for itself. It requires continuous and concerted action by all of us.”
Therefore, African states must reposition their regional organisations and build the capacity of their national institutions to address this element of terrorism and violent extremism effectively, he called.
The President affirmed that Nigeria is committed to working with regional partners to strengthen arms control measures, enhance border security, and disrupt the illicit trafficking networks that fuel terrorism and organised crime while urging firm and expeditious actions against prevailing insecurity on the continent.
In his welcome remarks, the National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu, listed the factors fuelling terrorism in Africa as organised crime, foreign terrorist financing and training, poverty, inequality, prolonged conflicts, among others.
According to Ribadu, Nigeria is dealing decisively with all drivers of violent extremism, including economic and social enablers, while enhancing intelligence gathering through enhanced inter-agency collaboration and confidence building with citizens.
He said Nigeria was strengthening its judiciary to deal with cases of terrorism effectively and has earmarked a fund to boost counter-terrorism efforts.
“We have resumed the prosecution of Boko Haram suspects across the country,” the National Security Adviser said.
In her remarks, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ms. Amina Mohammed, suggested that Africa rebuild its social contract with its citizens and deliver good governance.
This would “remove the engenderers of terrorism on the continent,” she opined. is
“Rebuilding the social contract is necessary for recovery.
“We must pay attention to women and girls who are greatly impacted by terrorism, including the youth.
“Providing support and healing for those impacted by terrorism is important,” the UN Deputy Secretary-General said.
Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism, Mr. Vladimir Voronkov, commended Nigeria for its leadership in counter-terrorism in Africa and for hosting the meeting.
“Terrorism is a threat to peace and security, particularly in Africa, where its impact is mostly felt. The success of UNOCT in Africa hinges on its support for Africa-led programmes and solutions,” Voronkov said.
The meeting is based on the discussions during the Ministerial gathering of African Member States that was co-organised by the Government of Nigeria and UNOCT on September 21, 2023, on the margins of the 78th Session of the UN General Assembly.
Source: The Punch
