African Union (AU) Chiefs of Defence Staff and Minister of Defence have met in Bamako, Mali, in furtherance of multinational approach to fight against terrorism that is ravaging African regions.

The meeting is aimed at engendering participants to partner on the enhancement of security cooperation and the conceptualisation of the African peace and security architecture in the Sahelo-Saharan region

Nigeria’s acting Director Defence Information, Colonel Rabe Abubakar, said yesterday in Abuja: “The meeting was discussing terrorism which has become a global problem and requires collective approach towards addressing the menace. It focused on the threats faced by countries in the Sahelo-Saharan region, especially the threats of Boko Haram terrorists in Nigeria and other member countries of the Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC) and the threats of Al-Shabab terrorists in Central Africa.

“The participants agreed on the need to enhance operational cooperation between the affected countries so as to increase the effectiveness of their action against threats of terrorism.

“In order to promote a shared assessment of the threats risks in the affected regions, the meeting proposed to classify the threats and risks in the regions into four major categories which include; Terrorism, Organised Crime (Drugs, Arms and Human Trafficking), Illegal Immigration and Separatism. The meeting, which is ongoing, marked a new phase in the promotion of regional security and a united front by AU members in the fight against terrorism.”

Col. Abubakar disclosed that Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Gabriel Olonisakin, would use the opportunity to brief the continental Defence Chiefs and Ministers of Defence of AU about efforts Nigeria and its allied in the LCBC are putting in place to contain the aggression of Boko Haram in the sub-region.

•Photo shows Maj-Gen. Olonisakin.

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