By Stephen Asante
Accra, March 30, GNA – President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo says the international order is under threat as a result of the destabilising actions being carried out by terrorist groups all over the world.
“The unsettling uncertainty of where the next attack would come, the number of lives to be disrupted, lost or displaced, the annexing of national territories, and the wrecking of economies, are repercussions of this fight, except that this war has no fixed boundaries, neither does it have an end date,” he noted.
“Over the course of the past few years, there have been a number of initiatives and advancement at the global and regional levels to combat terrorism and violent extremism,” President Nana Akufo-Addo, shared in a Facebook post, on Thursday, March 30, following his statement delivered on the terrorist threat in West Africa.
“We have proven, through our combined efforts, that we are able to co-operate with one another in order to enhance our capacity to combat the threat posed by terrorism in all of its guises and manifestations, and as a serious crime that has no justification, regardless of its motivation or origin.”
Leaders from across the continent joined ambassadors in examining how to counter terrorism and better prevent violent extremism through stronger cooperation between the UN and regional organisations, at the UN Security Council on Tuesday, March 28.
A statement issued by the Council on its meeting said: “Just as terrorism drives people apart, countering it can bring countries together.”
It pointed to several initiatives across Africa, including in the Sahel, the Lake Chad Basin and Mozambique.
“Despair, poverty, hunger, lack of basic services, unemployment, and unconstitutional changes in government continue to lay fertile ground for the creeping expansion of terrorist groups to infect new parts of the continent,” the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, told the Security Council.
The UN, he said, was extending assistance to African countries in areas that included prevention, legal assistance, investigations, prosecutions, reintegration and rehabilitation.
Later in a tweet, Mr Guterres emphasised: “No age, no culture, no religion, no nationality and no region is immune to terrorism. But the situation in Africa is especially concerning.
“Community by community, terrorist groups are trying to extend their reach. The UN stands with Africa to the end of this scourge once and for all.”
GNA