Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo on Tuesday warned that a rampant rebellion in West Africa’s Sahel region is feared to spread in the entire region, reported The Reuters.
While addressing the Accra Initiative Summit of Heads of State and Government in Ghana’s capital Accra, Akufo-Addo said it has become imperative for member states to collaborate to counter rising levels of terrorism.
“West Africa continues to suffer from the effect of the scourge of terrorism and violent extremism, spreading rapidly across the region,” Ghana’s president said.
He said the terrorist groups in the Sahel region are now seeking new operational grounds and that is feared triggering the southward drift of the menace from the Sahel to coastal West Africa.
Five West African countries including Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, and Togo established the Accra Initiative in 2017 to prevent spillover of terrorism from the Sahel. Mali and Niger, which were initially admitted as observers, became members in 2019.
The Accra meeting took place amid withdrawal of various foreign troops including France and Denmark from Mali, where armed groups have seized vast swaths of territory. The foreign governments have cited the Mali’s military government’s alliance with Russian mercenaries as a reason for ending military cooperation.
Attacks by militants groups have increased during the past decade. Thousands of people have lost their lives in the violence and more than 2.7 million have been displaced across the Sahel, according to the UN.
Mali, where a continuing conflict took root in 2012, has been at odds with regional governments, Western powers, and a United Nations peacekeeping mission since a military government, which seized power in August 2020, failed to hold promised elections.
Ivory Coast is also withdrawing its troops as Mali detained 46 of its soldiers, claiming the Ivorians are mercenaries.
Ghana’s leader Akufo-Addo said the goal of the Accra Initiative is to curb that spread of terrorism. He added that member countries will own the initiative but they will also require support from their foreign partners.
