AU Peace and Security Council discusses combating terrorism
The AU Peace and Security Council (PSC) held its 749th meeting on Saturday (January 27) at the level of Heads of State and Government, on the theme: “Towards a Comprehensive Approach to Combating the Transnational Threat of Terrorism in Africa”. It heard statements from President El Sisi of Egypt, PSC Chairperson for January, AU Commission Moussa Faki, UN Secretary-General Guterres, Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia of Algeria, on behalf of H.E. President Bouteflika, in his capacity as the Leader on the Thorny Issue of Combating Terrorism and Violent Extremism in Africa and Shimelis Wolde Semayat, Executive Secretary of the Committee of Intelligence and Security Services of Africa (CISSA) as well as being briefed by Ambassador Smail Chergui, AU Commissioner for Peace and Security, on a comprehensive approach to combating the transnational threat of terrorism and violent extremism in Africa.
The Council subsequently reiterated its strong condemnation of all terrorist acts, methods, practices and incitements, regardless of the pretext under which they are committed. It noted with deep concern the immense threats to peace and security emanating from the upsurge of terrorism, violent extremism and radicalization in Africa and emphasized that terrorism, violent extremism and radicalization cannot be exclusively associated with any one single religion, ethnicity, sect or tribe.
It underscored the AU’s continued commitment to inclusive approaches and African ownership, as well as Africa’s commitment to the international counter-terrorism regime as outlined in AU treaties and conventions, UN Security Council resolutions, and the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy. It encouraged Member States to develop their own comprehensive national counter terrorism strategies focusing on prevention, as well as on timely and swift responses to any terrorist acts and stressed the importance of coordination and complementarity of efforts among Member States and all relevant regional and international actors in preventing and countering terrorism, violent extremism and radicalization.
The PSC commended CISSA, the African Union Mechanism for Police Cooperation (AFRIPOL), and the African Center for the Study and Research on Terrorism (ACSRT) and the Regional Economic Communities and Regional Mechanisms (RECs/RMs) for their efforts in supporting Member States in the fight against terrorism. It noted the progress made by the AU Commission to establish the AU Special Fund on the Prevention and Combating of Terrorism and Violent Extremism in Africa adopted at Kigali, in July 2016, and called upon Member States and international partners to make contributions to the Fund, once operationalized.
It expressed deep concern over the threat posed by the return of Foreign Terrorist Fighters from conflict zones outside the continent back to their countries of origin in Africa and requested the AU Commission and partners to continue to assist Member States in building and strengthening national capacities to effectively deal with this threat. It also called upon Member States to take the required measures to dry up the flow of terrorism financing, by cutting the links between terrorist organizations and organized crime, including trafficking, smuggling and illicit trade.
It called for the mobilization of all the components of the African Peace and Security Architecture in efforts aimed at preventing and combating terrorism in Africa and stressed the need to strengthen cross border cooperation and information sharing between Member States’ Intelligence Units, including within the framework of the Nouakchott and Djibouti processes, the different regional fusion centers and AFRIPOL. It encouraged the PSC Counter Terrorism Sub-Committee, once activated, to develop a database of persons, groups and entities involved in terrorist acts, as an African watch-list for use by law enforcement, border security, customs, military, and intelligence agencies. It also reaffirmed the need to counter the use of ICT technologies by terrorist groups and welcomed again the proposal made by Egypt to host an African Event to further discuss the Egyptian Initiative to start an African Dialogue with a view to combating terrorism online and securing cyberspace.
The AU Peace and Security Council also called upon the international community, through individual Member States, Specialized Agencies and Units of the UN, to undertake its responsibilities in assisting AU Member States in identifying areas where they may need technical assistance and capacity-building, in order to meet the challenges of transnational terrorism. It also urged all Member States, to urgently sign, ratify and domesticate all AU instruments and other relevant international counter-terrorism instruments.
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Tripartite Meeting between Egypt, Ethiopia and the Sudan
Prime Minister Hailemariam Dessalegn, Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, President Abdel Fatah El-Sisi, President of the Arab Republic of Egypt and President Omar Hassen al Bashir, President of the Republic of the Sudan, held what all three participants described as a constructive meeting on issues of mutual interest on Monday (January 29) in Addis Ababa, on the margins of the 30th African Union Summit.
The leaders of the three countries conducted their consultation on a spirit of cooperation, good faith and fraternity. Demonstrating a new spirit of cooperation, the three countries stressed that their overall engagement should be based on a principle that underscores “at all levels the three countries should work as one not three as they have a common destiny.”
The meeting was focused on issues of mutual interest with the aim of enhancing and nurturing the tripartite relations and taking these to the next level. To this end they agreed to meet annually at the level of Head of State and Government. They also agreed to explore a mechanism to establish a tripartite fund to enhance cooperation among the three countries and work on common infrastructure projects such as railways and roads. They also agreed to discuss all the issues regarding the GERD through the existing Tripartite National Committee by involving the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Water and they should report the result to the leaders in one month’s time.
Prime Minister Hailemariam described the discussions as “very constructive, sincere and frank”, and said they would continue in this “very considerable brotherly spirit.” He stressed that the three should continue as one not as three countries: “we have to see ourselves as one”. The Nile should bond the three countries together in cooperation rather than confrontation. President El-Sisi said that one important thing that spoke volumes was “our determination and willingness to cooperate and that we have engaged in this relationship in a constructive manner.
The three leaders underlined they were fully committed to maintain the spirit of cooperation based on a win-win approach to meet the needs and aspirations of their peoples. In this context, they reiterated that the Agreement on the Declaration of Principles (DoP) on the GERD Project was a milestone to which the three countries were committed. The Agreement on the Declaration of Principles was signed on March 23, 2015, in Khartoum, and commits Egypt, Ethiopia and the Sudan to ten principles on The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.
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Ethiopia and Mongolia look for expanding bilateral ties and cooperation
State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mrs. Hirut Zemene received Davaasuren Damdinsuren, State Secretary of the Foreign Affairs of Mongolia on Friday (February 2). The Mongolian State Secretary thanked Ethiopia for the successful completion of the 30th AU summit and welcomed the fact that Ethiopia has been one of the fastest growing economies in the world.
The two parties reiterated their commitment to elevate bilateral ties and boost cooperation on various multilateral engagements, most notably through the platform of Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs). They underlined the need to review the implementation of half a dozen cooperation agreements and to further reinvigorate the bilateral cooperation in diverse areas of common interest. Both countries belong to the group of LLDCs and as part of furthering cooperation in this regard, they underlined the need to work more closely together to exchange lessons in the areas of boosting trade and advancing aspects of connectivity, as well as relevant research works as applied to the LLDC. The Mongolian State Secretary noted that the first Inaugural Meeting of the International Think Tank for Land Locked Developing Countries (ITT-LLDC) would be held in Ulaan Batar, Mongolia’s capital, in June this year and invited Ethiopia to take part. The ITT-LLDC project is a joint initiative of the Government of Mongolia and UNDP, aimed at providing support for strategic interventions to enhance the development prospects of all LLDCs.
State Minister Hirut commended Mongolia for this important initiative, noting that Ethiopia has now ratified the Multilateral Agreement on the establishment of the International Think Tank for LLDCs. She stressed Ethiopia was keen to participate in the upcoming inaugural meeting. The State Minister underlined that although Ethiopia is one of the LLDCs, the country has been massively engaged in the development of power, railway, air and roads connectivity, including the Ethio-Djibouti electrified and a standard gauge Railway. She also mentioned Ethiopian Airlines, flying to over 40 destinations in Africa and 100 globally, with an efficient cargo system. As an LLDCs member country, Ethiopia, she said, would look forward to exploring all venues of cooperation in the fields of promoting connectivity, trade facilitation and exchange of pertinent research works.
The two parties further took note of the fact that Ethiopia, with over 8000 personnel is now the leading contributor to UN peacekeeping missions, while also noting that Mongolia was also actively engaged in promoting collective security. They agreed to look into ways of enhancing cooperation in peacekeeping missions.
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Somalia launches its 2018 Humanitarian Response Plan
Somalia’s 2018 Humanitarian Response Plan was launched on Tuesday this week (January 30) in Mogadishu. The Government-led, UN-supported humanitarian response plan is looking for $1.5 billion to address the needs of 5.4 million people. With half the population currently needing humanitarian assistance, there are fears that the Gu season (April–June) may become the 5th consecutive poor rainy season in Somalia, limiting the availability of pasture and water, reducing rain-fed crop harvests, and exacerbating levels of acute food insecurity. Aid agencies emphasize that continuing humanitarian assistance and livelihood support in 2018, paralleled by development solutions that focus on job creation, access to finance, and support to public service delivery, remains vital, to ensure that drought never turns to famine again.
The Humanitarian Response Plan was presented jointly with a proposed Recovery and Resilience Framework (RRF), which outlines the way forward for recovery and longer-term resilience, aiming to address the root causes of recurring humanitarian crises. The occasion was attended by Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khayre and other senior representatives of the Federal Government, as well as the international community.
Opening the event, Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire emphasized the Government’s resolve to move from crisis to recovery. He said: “Somalia is turning over a new leaf in its history. Important and significant progress is being made on our peace- and state-building agenda. We are determined to overcome the challenges posed by recurring droughts that risk undermining these gains, and we count on our international partners to support us in this endeavor.” Noting the magnitude of the humanitarian crisis, Mark Lowcock, UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, urged the international community to sustain its life-saving support, but added: “Ending need in Somalia can only be achieved if we respond to immediate humanitarian needs while simultaneously implementing longer-term solutions to build resilience.” Mr. Mohieldin, World Bank Senior Vice-President, noting the Humanitarian Response Plan was jointly launched with the RRF, and Somalia was “ahead of the curve in its effort to overcome the challenges”, said hard investment was required to implement the RRF. He welcomed Government’s efforts to normalize its relations with the international finance system.
The RRF was based on a Drought Impact Needs Assessment (DINA) carried out in partnership with Federal Member States, the EU, the UN and the World Bank. The DINA of the impact of the 2017 drought also identified long- term, durable solutions to address the root causes of recurrent crises. 180 sector experts from the Government, UN, EU and World Bank collected data across 18 sectors, incorporating existing data, and analyzing agriculture, water supply and sanitation, health and nutrition, food security, livelihoods, education and social protection. It provided a calculation of damage amounting to US$1.02 billion, and losses estimated at US$2.23 billion. Overall, it estimated the total effect of the most recent drought in Somalia could expect to exceed US$3.25 billion. It also calculated total recovery needs could reach US$1.77 billion, with agriculture and urban development and municipal services most affected.
These findings were incorporated into development of the Recovery and Resilience Framework, to provide a comprehensive strategy for policy-making and the institutionalization and financing of economic recovery and long-term development. Together they will enable the Federal Government and Federal Member states to devise medium- and long-term solutions to promote development and address the root causes of vulnerability to drought. They were developed alongside the Response Plan and in coordination with humanitarian partners, to ensure coherence and protect achievements.
In a related development, on the following day, the Government and the UN launched a major innovation challenge to seek ideas from young Somalis on improving the living conditions of people in internally displaced persons (IDPs) communities. The most viable solutions will be supported through entrepreneurship trainings, incubation and access to finance. The challenge is part of an ongoing “Innovate for Somalia” project led by UNDP, in collaboration with Somali government which has conducted two previous innovation challenges to improve the dairy industry and on coding development focused apps. World Bank Senior Vice-President Mohieldin called on young Somalis to maximize the opportunities provided by the government, civil society and Somalia’s development partners under the innovation challenge. He said: “As the World Bank, we do business with governments directly. But we have a very strong private sector arm, and I am pleased to know from my colleagues today that we have a fund of around 10 million U.S. dollars dedicated for Somalia to help the start-ups, small and micro enterprises.”
The inaugural “Innovate for Somalia” camp was held in October 2017, where young people were given the opportunity to pitch their business ideas in order to raise start-up funding.
