Africa for decades now has been battling violent extremism with the crisis having serious impact on many regions of the continent.
African leaders are concerned and have been meeting in Nigeria for a summit that is seeking African solutions.
They have called for the revamping of institutions fighting violent extremism on the continent and the setting up of a standby military force and greater control over peace-keeping efforts.
Groups linked to Islamic State and al Qaeda continue to carry out attacks in Africa, including the Sahel, Somalia and Mozambique, targeting civilians and the military.
African Union Commission chairperson Moussa Faki told the summit that last year, the number of daily attacks by extremist groups in Africa rose to eight and 44 deaths.
That’s an increase from four attacks and 18 deaths daily between 2017 and 2021.
Togolese President Faure Gnassingbe said the Sahel suffered the most attacks on civilians, coastal states like Togo were facing growing threats.
“I say this with prudence and regret, but I think the institutions that have been in place for a number of decades are no longer able to respond to the security situation that we face,” said Gnassingbe.
Foreign countries from the West including the US, France and Germany have tried to help but their failure to deal with the crisis has triggered anger from locals who have demanded their exit.
Some of these troops have already started pulling out of these African countries. This for many experts could put extra burden on African countries to fight extremists.
Nigerian President Bola Tinubu said has called for the establishment of a regional standby force whose mandate includes tackling terrorism.
“I am mindful of the funding, legal and logistical complexities that face the proper establishment of such a force. 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,” Tinubu said.
Source: Africafeeds.com
