Africa Must Deepen Cooperation to Tackle Terrorism, Barrow, Shaibu, IG Disu Charge
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- African leaders and security chiefs called for deeper regional cooperation, intelligence sharing, and community engagement to combat growing security challenges like terrorism and organized crime.
- Speakers at the Africa Security Watch Conference in The Gambia emphasized that individual countries cannot tackle evolving threats alone, citing the Sahel as an epicenter of global terrorism.
- Key themes included strengthening institutions, leveraging technology, promoting professionalism, and building public trust, with a focus on human rights and the rule of law in security operations.
African leaders and security chiefs have issued a strong call for enhanced regional cooperation, intelligence sharing, and community engagement to confront the continent's escalating security challenges. They warned that terrorism, organized crime, cybercrime, and violent extremism are threats too complex for any single nation to manage in isolation.
The urgent appeal came during the 19th Africa Security Watch Conference and Awards in Banjul, The Gambia. Speakers, including Gambian President Adama Barrow, Nigerian Chief of Army Staff Lt. Gen. Waidi Shaibu, and Inspector-General of Police Olatunji Disu, stressed that Africa's evolving security landscape demands coordinated responses. These responses must be anchored in robust institutions, advanced technology, unwavering professionalism, and the crucial element of public trust.
The security of one African state is inseparable from the security of all.
Representing President Barrow, Gambia's Minister of Interior Abdoulie Sanyang highlighted the interconnected nature of threats, noting the Sahel region's emergence as a global terrorism hotspot. He identified terrorism, transnational organized crime, irregular migration, cybercrime, maritime insecurity, climate-induced conflicts, and youth unemployment as critical issues requiring a unified approach. Sanyang emphasized that The Gambia has been actively reforming its security institutions since 2017, focusing on integrated border management, digitalization, community policing, and stronger legal frameworks.
If you do not have that one-on-one with the community, and you do not give them that trust where you can win the hearts and minds of the populace, you are fighting in vain.
Major General TE Gagariga, representing the Nigerian Chief of Army Staff, underscored the necessity for cross-border collaboration among security agencies, irrespective of political shifts. Drawing on Nigeria's counter-insurgency experience, he stressed the vital importance of community engagement and intelligence gathering. "If you do not have that one-on-one with the community, and you do not give them that trust where you can win the hearts and minds of the populace, you are fighting in vain," Gagariga stated, reinforcing that "insecurity has no borders."
The conference participants also stressed that security operations must remain firmly rooted in human rights and the rule of law. The overarching message was that collective action, built on shared intelligence and mutual trust, is the only viable path forward for securing the continent against a diverse array of threats.
insecurity has no borders
DistantNews Editorial
Originally published by ThisDay. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.
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