adminHerald Reporter
The African Union has intensified surveillance against terrorism rapidly spreading on the continent with four Boko Haram agents being arrested a few weeks ago in Namibia and Somalia.
AU Commissioner for Peace and Security, Ambassador Smail Chergui, said two agents of the Boko Haram terrorist group were arrested in Namibia while another two were caught in Somalia.
“A few weeks ago, we arrested two Boko-Haram representatives in Namibia and other two in Somalia,” said Ambassador Chergui — adding — “This really shows our surveillance is alert and we are committed to reduce terrorism threats on the continent.”
Ambassador Chergui said this while making a presentation on the topic “The African Union Peace and Security Architecture (APSA): Successes and Challenges” at the National Defence College on Thursday last week.
He said in the wake of terrorism threats, Africa “needs robust collective security approaches to ensure that our continent is peaceful, stable and prosperous”.
Ambassador Chergui said the idea of establishing APSA was noble as the continent had achieved a lot in ensuring its effective operationalisation.
“However, we still need to ensure the full operationalisation of other outstanding APSA components,” said Ambassador Chergui.
APSA was established after the realisation that the United Nations peace-keeping capacity was increasingly over-stretched and often slow to respond to emerging security challenges in Africa.
The protocol on the establishment of Peace and Security Council of the AU outlines the various APSA components and their respective responsibilities.
Online Reporter