Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has warned that terrorism continues to claim an average of 44 lives daily across West Africa, with roughly eight attacks occurring each day in the sub-region.
Speaking at the High-Level Consultative Conference on Regional Cooperation and Security in Accra, which brought together security chiefs from Burkina Faso, Liberia, Mauritania, Nigeria, Mali, and other neighbouring countries, Ablakwa described the scale of terrorism as a “grim reality” confronting regional security.
He noted that between 47 and nearly 60 percent of global terrorism now occurs in West Africa, highlighting the urgent need for coordinated action.
“There must be an agreed regional mechanism to confront violent extremism and restore security through collaboration and intelligence gathering,” he said.
Minister for Interior and National Security, Muntaka Mohammed Mubarak, also emphasized that tackling insecurity requires more than military and intelligence efforts.
He called for collaboration across the region to stamp out the menace of insecurity, noting that fragmented efforts are not yielding the desired outcomes.
The conference aims to develop strategies to pre-empt, confront, and curtail insecurity across the sub-region.
Source: Starrfm.com.gh/Fred Duhoe
