The African Union (AU) has said that the continent is ill-equipped to successfully combat?? organised criminal activities and terrorism that have besieged the continent.
This was disclosed by the AU Chairperson Special Representative For Counter Terrorism Cooperation, Mr. Francisco Caetano Jose Madeira, at the launch of the Integrated Assistance for Countering Terrorism (I-ACT) projects in Abuja, yesterday.
Madeira said that different criminal gangs and terrorist groups in Africa are exploiting the weakness of the continent’s institutions to their advantage.
He said, “We are awake now. The continent has fully realised the destructive nature of terrorism and the obstacle it poses to peace, stability and development of member states.”
However, he said that African nations still have institutions that can address legitimate grievances satisfactorily.
“Terrorism, in whatever form it comes, is unacceptable. It needs to be stopped and its narrative discredited. There can be no let up.”
Madeira added that the international community is behind Nigeria as it battles terrorist activities and the launch of I-ACT projects in Abuja is a testimony to that.
In his opening remarks, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Olugbenga Ashiru, said that Nigeria is grateful to the support the international community has shown her since the recent waves of terrorist activities in the country.
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