Empower Africa-Led Operations Against Terrorism & Piracy-Akufo Addo Begs UNSC

Ghana’s President, H.E Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has urged that the United Nartions’ Security Council, also the central mechanism of the United Nations for maintaining international peace and security, to help in “adequate, predictable and sustainable financing of African-led operations”, in the global fight against terrorism.

Prez, Akufo-Addo chaired a debate of the UN Security Council, as part of Ghana’s Presidency of the Council for the month of November; Thursday, 11th November 2022.

He observed that terrorism has always posed threat to international peace and security, that continues to jeopardize the peaceful co-existence among nations.

“In Africa, the Sahel, for example, with a population of some 300 million people, has accounted for the highest incidents of recorded terrorist attacks between January and June this year, which has resulted in some 5,412 deaths across Africa.

“Already, some Sahelian and West African countries have been overrun by terrorists and other armed groups, who now feel motivated and emboldened to expand to their reach of influence to the coastal countries of West Africa, in a grand attempt to get access to the high seas, and create a vicious linkage between terrorism and piracy,” he bemoaned.

The President of Ghana’s Republic noted the international community, particularly, the Security Council, cannot choose to be neutral in the design and implementation of specific responses required to confront the threat of international terrorism.

“We acknowledge that the fight against terrorism can be a protracted one that could take several years, but, with collective efforts, terrorism and those behind its evil acts can and will eventually be defeated,” he revealed.

According to him, the Africa needs to leverage the role of the African Union and its regional economic commissions in raising a robust and resourced force to curbing terrorism and other armed groups, as well as other peace operation initiatives.

Nana Addo canvassed for the support of the Council for all efforts to curtail terrorism and other armed groups on the continent.

“The burden of confronting terrorism cannot be borne by those in the region alone. It requires strong collaboration between the United Nations, the African Union and the regional economic communities, especially ECOWAS, to address the question of adequate, predictable and sustainable financing for regional-led operations,” he emphasized.

President Akufo-Addo added, “The African Union has demonstrated its commitment and capacity to manage effectively such financing, and to comply with the required human rights standards in such operations.

This Council and the wider international community must play their part, if there is a desire to have a continuing relevance.”

He advised the Council’s structure and approach of international support to countering terrorism in the Sahel, has to be pre-emptive, rather than reactive.

“I would strongly urge members of the Council to revisit the vexed issue of the reform of the United Nations system, especially of the Security Council, and to do so on the basis of the African Common Position on UN Reform, as enunciated in the Ezulwini Consensus, if, indeed, the authority of this Council which, in recent times, appears to have been devalued, because of its anachronistic structure, is to be restored, he noted.