FORMER Minister of External Affairs and Nigeria’s permanent representative to the United Nations, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, says more than 1000 insurgency groups are operating within the African continent.
Gambari stated this in his goodwill message at 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,” yesterday in Abuja.
Our correspondent reports that 36 out of 54 African countries are currently represented at the summit.
Gambari called on African nations to first secure their various nations before securing the region and continent at large.
According to him, African nations must strengthen defence industries and own its technologies in an effort to address threats. He further 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,”
On his part, the President of Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS), Omar Touray, said the Sahel region accounted for 51 percent of deaths in 2024.
Omar, represented by ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security Amb. Abdel-Fatau Musah, appealed to the United Nations to fund at least 75 percent of African led operations to counter terrorism.
Earlier, the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen. Christopher Musa, said the challenges bedeviling the continent defies borders hence, the need for collaborative efforts.
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.
According to the CDS, the enemy is within hence, “we must be the architect of our defence and security,” he said.
