Buhari urges African leaders to unite against terrorism

President Muhammadu Buhari has called on the African Union and the regional economic blocs within Africa to coordinate their efforts in order to fight terrorism, violent extremism, armed conflicts and other crises threatening the peace and security of the continent.

The President noted that attention should be focused on how the Peace and Security Council and the regional economic communities can enhance effectiveness using their comparative advantages and various capacities in the areas of early warning and action, conflict prevention, peace-keeping, post-conflict peace building, reconstruction, development, democratic practice and good governance, as well as combating terrorism and violent extremism.

The President made the call while declaring open a three-day retreat of the Peace and Security Council of the African Union, which commenced on Monday in Abuja with the theme, “Enhancement of Cooperation Between the Peace and Security Council of the African Union and the Regional Economic Communities/Regional Mechanisms for Conflict Prevention, Management and Resolution in the Promotion of Peace, Security and Stability in Africa.”

The President, who was represented by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, said the theme was apt because it “provides Africa with an effective mechanism for management’’ of peace and security. He said it was embarrassing for the continent to open vistas for fresh conflicts, even as older ones were yet to be addressed.

Buhari said, “Terrorism and violent extremism present fresh problems to a large number of internally displaced persons and refugees going across the borders of neighbouring countries.

“The sheer variety and complexity of these challenges obliged the Peace and Security Council and the regional economic communities to more effectively coordinate and harmonise their efforts in complementary manner in order to address the problems more effectively.”

He praised the Security Council for providing Africa with an effective mechanism for the management of peace and security, saying the PSC had been a novel African initiative in many respects in its 11 years of existence.

“The Peace and Security Council has, among other achievements, provided Africa with a standing structure for the implementation of the ideals set out in the African Union Peace and Security Architecture in tackling numerous conflicts and other security challenges in all respects ranging from political crisis, armed conflicts to humanitarian crisis, as exemplified in the council handling of the recent Ebola virus disease in some of our countries through the support of the AU,” he stated.

President of the PSC, Mule Katande, stated that the retreat was to enable stakeholders to brainstorm on how the Council of the African Union and the regional economic communities can proffer solutions to the plethora of security challenges facing the continent.

He added that it required cooperation to decisively deal with the crisis and create an enabling environment that would ensure peace and progress of the continent.