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African Union to create special fund to combat terrorism
African leaders proposed on Tuesday creating a special fund to combat Islamist militant groups growing in strength from Kenya to Nigeria.
African Union states announced the idea after Nairobi talks on a problem highlighted on Tuesday by the latest disturbances in north-eastern Nigeria by the al-Qaeda-linked Boko Haram militants.
A senior official also told the summit that Islamic State’s gains in Iraq and Syria, where it controls vast swathes of territory, could help set off a competition between it and al-Qaeda to become the leading Islamist militant group in Africa.
President Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya, where al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabaab militants last September killed 67 people in a raid on a shopping mall, said African countries should stand together against the threat of Boko Haram and al-Shabaab.
“No single state can tackle this threat alone,” he said. “It is particularly worrying in Africa today that terrorist organizations have grown both in terms of number and capability.”
Chad President Idriss Deby, who is chairperson of the African Union Peace and Security Council, said: “There is a proposal to establish a special fund to combat terrorism.” But Deby, flanked by Kenyatta and Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan at a news conference, gave no details about who would contribute to the fund or how the money would be used.
The idea of the fund was mooted by Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta and would be discussed at the next full African Union summit. Kenyatta said African states would have to increase their own spending on security to curb the organized militant groups.
Many African countries, including Kenya and Nigeria, are involved in some way in the global fight against Islamist militants and their security services receive substantial training and funding.
African intelligence officials have said that they are concerned that Islamists may be emboldened by the Islamic State’s gains in the Middle East. According to an official, “It is not only that ISIS might provide more money or resources,” he said. The two groups might also engage in a “competition for the leadership,” with al-Qaeda using Africa as a staging ground to remain relevant.
Source: Reuters