…As Mali, Burkina Faso Shun Meeting
Lucky Obukohwo, Reporting
Former Minister of External Affairs, Ibrahim Gambari, has tasked African leaders to secure their countries first before extending same to their borders.
Gambari, who is also a former Nigeria’s permanent representative to the United Nations also said that there are currently over 1,000 insurgency groups operating within Africa.
He gave the task in his goodwill message at the opening ceremony of the African Chiefs of Defence Staff summit 2025, with the theme: “combating contemporary threats to regional peace and security in Africa: the role of strategic defence collaboration” holding in Abuja, which had in attendance 36 Out of the 54 African countries in attendance.
Niger Republic representative honoured the invitation, Mali and Burkina Faso were conspicuously absent.
Their absence may not be unconnected with the political tension between the countries and the regional bloc ECOWAS.
Gambari, called on African nations to strengthen defence industries and own its technologies in an effort to address threats.
“He equally urged African nations to design and build own security architecture that guarantees human security.
“We have to first secure our countries before we can secure our regions and then the continent. Securing Nigeria has placed Nigeria at the forefront of securing the region and continent. There are over 1000 insurgency groups operating in Africa,”
Also speaking, The President of Economic Community of West Africa States Omar Alieu Touray represented by ECOWAS commissioner for political affairs, peace and security, Ambassador Abdel-Fatau Musah, said the Sahel region accounted for 51 percent of deaths in 2024.
He appealed to the United Nations to fund at least 75 percent of African led operations to counter terrorism.
Earlier, in his address, the Chief of Defence Staff(CDS), General Christopher Musa, said the challenges bedeviling the continent defies borders hence, the need for collaborative efforts.
General Musa stressed the need for an African led security architecture to secure it citizens.
He assured that the Nigerian Armed Forces are ready to work with their colleagues across borders to tame terrorism and other threats.
He said the enemy is within ,hence,”we must be the architect of our defence and security,”.