By Linus Aleke
The Community Parliament of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), has said that terrorism is a threat to peace, development and integration efforts of the regional body.
The Parliament said preventive initiatives must increase, to support the military operations underway in the Sahel, to curtail inter-religious and inter-ethnic conflicts as well as violent extremism in the region.
The Co-chairman of the Joint Committee on Education, Science and Culture, Health, Telecommunications and Information Technology, Hon. Aime Assine, said this at the official opening of the committee’s delocalized meeting in Praia, Cabo verde.
According to him, “I am not telling you anything new by saying that our region has been experiencing attacks by armed terrorist groups for more than a decade, which represent a threat to its peace, integration and development. In this context of growing fragility and threats, the meeting of the Joint Committee here in Praia, focuses on the theme: ‘Religion tolerance and harmony: Essential factors for development, peace and stability in ECOWAS region’. Indeed, because of the inter-religious and inter-ethnic conflicts as well as the violent extremism faced by the populations in West Africa, preventive initiatives must increase, to support the military operations underway in the Sahel.
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“This is why, in addition to its objective of establishing a platform for the exchange of experiences, especially among MPs, religious authorities, traditional chiefs of the West African region on issues of peace and reconciliation in the Sahel. This Parliament’s meeting is therefore an opportunity to make practical proposals, likely to develop a new approach for peace in the Sahel, taking into account the important role of religious leaders and traditional chiefs in making significant contributions to issues of peace and security in the ECOWAS region”.
Hon. Assine noted that it is for this reason that ECOWAS adopted a Priority Action Plan in 2019 to eradicate terrorism in the ECOWAS region.
He also emphasized the importance of the participation of civil society in the fight against terrorism.
