President of Republic of Niger, Mahamadou Issoufou on Wednesday, expressed worry that Member States of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), may not meet the African Union target of ‘Silencing the Gun’ by 2020.
NAN reports that “Silencing the Guns in Africa by 2020 in Africa” is an AU campaign aimed at realising a conflict-free continent by ending all wars, civil conflicts, Gender-Based Violence (GBV), human rights violations as well as the preventing genocide in Africa, by 2020.
It is one of the flagship projects under Agenda 2063, whose Aspiration 4 seeks for a peaceful and secure Africa.
The AU recognises violent conflicts as one of Africa’s major challenges cum greatest impediments to achieving Agenda 2063.
Speaking at the ongoing inaugural session of the ECOWAS Parliament in Niamey, Niger Republic, Issoufou said that the sub-region was still burdened with terrorism, criminal activities and conflicts.
Speaking further, the Nigerien president said that the Sahel region and Lake Chad were seriously affected by conflicts aggravated by the Libyan crises.
He therefore called on member state to strengthen their solidarity to combat the threats by facing the situation squarely.
He said that it was in view of the need to combat the threats that the five member states of the Sahel region, requested for the creation of combined force.
“It is also in this regard that member states of G5 Sahel and France appealed for the creation of a Sahel coalition to combat terrorism,” he said.
He disclosed that the coalition is expected to focus on four areas which include intensifying the combat of terrorism, reinforcing military capacity of the G5 countries, reinforcing state presence and administration in the conflict areas.
He hinted that the force is to be composed of units from the European Special Force and forces from ECOWAS member states either individually or collectively through the standby force.
Issoufou who is also the Chairman of the Authority of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government also noted that the spread of the coronavirus was constituting another threat.
To this end, he called for a regional response to tackle the disease while expressing optimism that the region would be able to live up to expectation in the same way it tacked the outbreak of Ebola. (NAN)
