President Goodluck Jonathan has challenged world leaders to collectively take up the responsibility of identifying sponsors and supporters of terror groups, such as Boko Haram in Nigeria and other groups operating in the Sahel region.
This is even as he has said that the issue of peace and security called for a holistic and integrated approach, as peace and development are two sides of the same coin.
He gave the charge in his remarks on peace and security at the opening of the ongoing Fourth European Union-Africa Summit, in the Belgian capital, Brussels.
The President emphasized that the sponsors are those should be held responsible for their actions aimed at destabilising Africa.
Jonathan who thanked the European Union and and other development partners for their role in addressing the menace of the terror groups, added that leaders should see a terror attack on one nation as an attack on everybody.
“The weapons of choice of these terror groups are the Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW).
“Of recent, they have acquired the rapid propelled grenades and even surface-to-air missiles. Where do they get these sophisticated weapons? The total value of what these terrorists possess as individuals, in terms of what they wear, where they live cannot buy an assault rifle.
“We all have the collective responsibility to un-earth their sponsors and supporters who are determined to destabilise Africa. We should hold them responsible and accountable for their actions.”
Jonathan said it was the importance that Nigeria attaches to the issue of security that led to the organising a summit on “Human Security, Peace and Development: An Agenda for the 21st Century” during Nigeria’s recent Centenary Celebrations.
The President said the summit resolved, in part, that all countries must continue to strengthen existing mechanisms for national and international conflict management, and create new avenues for co-operation within and between peoples and nations.
Jonathan recalled that since 2000, African Union had demonstrated sustained desire for the development of collective security arrangement among its member states and its Regional Economic Communities.
He said the countries had established a security management system and the codification of standards within Africa’s Peace and Security Architecture.
The President list them to includethe Peace and Security Council, a continental early warning system, the Panel of the Wise and the African Standby Force (ASF).
Jonathan said the union has also subscribed to modalities and action plans to confront these challenges new threat of piracy in some maritime boundaries and curb the menace of oil theft.
In addition to these initiatives, the President said there were organs within the AU with mandates to strengthen the peace and security architecture.
He said the coming into force of the African Charter on Democracy, Election and Government as a legally binding instrument, was a further re-affirmation of collective resolve at outlawing unconstitutional change of government in Africa.