Editorial by Ghanaian Times: Africa needs support to fight terrorism

Violent extremism is defined as the beliefs and actions of people who support or use violence to achieve ideological, religious, or political goals. This includes ter­rorism and other forms of polit­ically motivated and communal violence intentionally perpetrat­ed on civilian non-combatants with the goal of furthering some ideological, religious, or political beliefs.

Currently, many groups are operating in different parts of the world that are classified as terrorist groups that fit the definition above. Their operations have caused atro­cious harm to both combatant and non-combatant citizens of several countries in the world.

As a matter of fact, the world has struggled to contain and defeat these groups who operate in very difficult terrains across the world. Due to their sophis­tication, countries are coming together and forming alliances to fight them but it has not been easy.

Africa and for that matter, the West Africa sub-region has had its fair share of terrorism where countries in the sub-region had to virtually wage wars against terrorism which are highly costly to prosecute. Some of these countries often have to rely on rich countries for support to fight terrorism in their countries.

It is, for this reason that we support the call by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Ad­do on leaders of the global community to provide support for Africa’s fight against terrorism and violent extremism.

According to him despite the considerable economic difficulties confronting the 15-member Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), they are willing to take the fight to the terrorists, if they were suffi­ciently empowered.

With the right amount of support to ECOWAS, he was certain that the terrorists “could be chased out of West Africa and the Sahel too. Foreign troops would not have to be involved. West African troops can do the job. The Accra Initiative is a good example of indigenous self-help.”

President Akufo-Addo who was speaking on “Democracy and Security in West Africa”, at the United States Institute of Peace’s Programme on Gover­nance and Peace, on Thursday, in Washington D.C., U.S.A, explained the emergence of terrorists in West Africa, and noted that “the terrorists, as we all know, were chased out of the Middle East and Afghanistan before taking refuge in Muam­mar Gaddafi’s Libya, from where they fled across the Sahara to find refuge in northern Mali after Gaddafi’s downfall.”

The Ghanaian Times is of the view that if the security assistance from the US, the EU, and the UK to ECOWAS, are to be increased to the levels that are extended to other countries, ECOWAS should be able to deal sufficiently with the terrorists.

We believe that with the com­mitment shown by the member states the terrorist groups can be stopped from spreading to the coastal states of West Africa, their ultimate destination.

We must not allow West Africa or the continent to become the center of attraction for terrorist groups that are mul­tiplying in the region, following defeats suffered in other parts of the world.

Africa needs the support of the world to wage a successful war against terrorist groups wherever they are on the conti­nent.