President Bola Tinubu has pointed out the role played by the global community in the escalation of illegal mining, illicit funds flow, and terrorism funding in Africa, saying they owe the continent and must help in the ongoing war against the menaces.
President Tinubu also emphasised the need for African countries to strengthen regional cooperation and institution-building to address the evolving threat of terrorism on the continent, stressing that terrorism poses a significant threat to peace, security, and development in Africa.
The president spoke on Monday, April 22, at the opening ceremony of a two-day African High-Level Meeting on Counter-terrorism, hosted by the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) in Abuja, emphasising that it is money from other places that have been fuelling illegal mining in Africa, which has in turn been funding terrorism.
According to him, illegal mining, which has robbed countries on the continent of the natural resources that the government ought to have been deployed to meet their national needs is now being hijacked by terrorist groups in exchange for foreign cash, which is in turn used to buy more arms and ammunition.
“While we seek to address the root causes of terrorism, we must also attack the roots that feed this evil branch. Evolving from the tactics of yesterday, terrorism is becoming a greater threat as it perfects ways to continuously finance, re-equip, and re-supply itself for its sinister mission.
“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, health care, and food for its people now go to pay for weapons and mayhem.
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“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. The international community has both the moral and legal obligation to help in this cause because it is outside money not African money that fuels the illegal operations.
“We shall be knocking on this door of the international community to answer this call for justice, peace, and fair play”, he said.
Emphasizing the havoc of terrorism on the lives of the people and their nations, he said: “Terrorism snipes at the very fabric of the tranquil, prosperous, and just societies we seek to build for ourselves and our children. It seeks to frighten the farmer from his field, children from their schools, women from the marketplace, and families from their very homes”, the President said.
He emphasized that terrorism has no respect for national boundaries, ethnic bloodlines, or religious creeds, and therefore requires a comprehensive and collective approach to combat it.
“We must address the root causes of extremism, such as poverty, marginalization, and social injustice. However, this important fact should not become empty rhetoric, devoid of meaning or action”, he added.
President Tinubu highlighted the need for a fully operational Regional Counter-Terrorism Centre to serve as a hub for intelligence sharing, operational coordination, and capacity building.
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He also emphasized the importance of strengthening existing counter-terrorism structures, such as the Regional Intelligence Fusion Unit (RIFU), the African Centre for the Study and Research on Terrorism (ACSRT), and the Committee of Intelligence and Security Services of Africa (CISSA).
In addition, the President called for the establishment of an all-inclusive African Union Ministerial Committee on Counter-Terrorism to ensure that high-level government officials meet regularly to assess counter-terrorism efforts and provide guidance on how to improve.
President Tinubu also highlighted the need to halt the proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) on the continent, noting “No one state can solve this problem for itself. It requires continuous and concerted action by all of us.
“We need to reposition our regional organizations and build the capacity of our national institutions to effectively address this element of terrorism and violent extremism”, he said.
The African High-Level Meeting on Counter-Terrorism brings together leaders and experts from across the continent to discuss ways to strengthen regional cooperation and institution-building to combat terrorism.
The meeting is expected to produce a communiqué outlining concrete steps to be taken to address the evolving threat of terrorism in Africa.