By Enyichukwu Enemanna
President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari on Saturday said timely information sharing is critical in winning the war against the activities of armed militia groups in the African continent, appealing to leaders to demonstrate the needed co-operation.
Armed conflict and terror activities have lingered in the North and sub-Saharan Africa in the past two decades, including the ISWAP-linked Boko Haram that has killed thousands of persons in North East Nigeria and displaced millions from their original place of habitation.
Buhari currently participating in the 36th session of African Union Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, told his counterparts during a High-Level side event on Early Warning Within the Framework of the AU Peace and Security Council and the Committee of Intelligence and Security Services in Africa that information sharing is vital to successful early warning and response processes.
A statement on Sunday by the President’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, says the event was hosted by President Teodoro Mbasogo of Equatorial Guinea.
In the statement titled ‘President Buhari calls for strengthening of early warning systems to rein in conflicts in Africa’, Buhari also revealed that Nigeria had fully embraced the spirit of the Africa Continental Free Trade Agreement having signed, ratified and deposited the instrument at the African Union Commission.
The President, who was represented by the National Security Adviser, Major General Babagana Monguno (retd.), warned that when member states denied credible early warning signals of impending crisis, they miss opportunities to address conflict situations before they escalate.
He, therefore, urged member states to cooperate more with the African Union Commission, Regional Economic Communities, Regional Mechanisms and other relevant partners.
‘‘We also call on Member States to embrace the Continental Structural Conflict Prevention Framework and its tools, the Country Structural Vulnerability and Resilience Assessment and the Country Structural Vulnerability Mitigation Strategies.
‘‘Our continent has contended with various issues of insecurity, including terrorism, violent extremism, unconstitutional changes of Government, among others.
‘‘These issues have been discussed severally at various High-Level meetings, particularly at the May 2022 Extraordinary Session of the Assembly held in Malabo indicating the importance attached to this worrisome trend,” Buhari said.
According to him, Nigeria acknowledges the work of the AU, RECs, RMs in strengthening Continental Early Warning Systems as well as AU security and intelligence organs like CISSA, African Union Mechanism for Police Cooperation and Africa Centre for the Study and Research on Terrorism for providing timely warnings on emerging threats.
He referred to the country’s position at the 35th Session of the Assembly in February 2022 directing the AUC to establish a monitoring and oversight committee to ensure successful early warning and response systems in Africa, and also call for enhanced horizon scanning briefings.
‘‘In addition, the AUC must develop a holistic approach to peace and security which encompasses the major drivers of conflict on the continent,’’ he said.
