Source: Chatham House –
Nigeria and Ghana foreign ministers discuss security, AES countries, Boko Haram and US operations
News release
jon.wallace
During an event at Chatham House, HE Yusuf Tuggar and HE Samuel Ablakwa also discussed ECOWAS, West Africa-France relations, and allegations of attacks on Christian communities in the region.
Ghanaian Minister for Foreign Affairs Samuel Ablakwa and Nigerian Minister of Foreign Affairs Yusuf Tuggar discussed West African security and peacebuilding in a packed event held at Chatham House on 9 March.
The foreign ministers took questions from the audience on West African security issues, from the withdrawal of AES countries from the ECOWAS security bloc and US airstrikes in Nigeria on Christmas day, to West African relations with France and how to combat groups like Boko Haram.
During the event, Minister Tuggar emphasized the importance of local security solutions in West Africa, saying:
‘I think what has worked in our region successfully, what we’ve been able to achieve in Sierra Leone, what we’ve been able to achieve in Liberia… bringing about peace and peacebuilding successfully… I think we have done so when we have come up with our own solutions. This is why ECOMOG was so successful. It was led by forces from the region, with the support of the United Nations, with the support of other major powers… That should be the formula.’
Addressing the role of the United States in Nigerian and regional security, he said the US should play ‘an indirect role. A supportive role as opposed to…taking a more direct approach that would see perhaps boots on the ground.’
Asked by an audience member about the nature of violence in Nigeria and the region, and the role of religion, Minister Tuggar said:
‘I’m not saying that the violence is not religious altogether. Some of it is motivated by religion. But it does not necessarily mean that there is a Christian genocide going on in Nigeria. That is false. It is incorrect…And it is not confined to Nigeria. It’s a regional problem. So that is why with framing we have to be careful.’
Minister Ablakwa, describing Ghanaians killed by terrorists in Burkina Faso, said:
‘These terrorists they didn’t ask them which religion they subscribed to. So, the point we are making is that we should be more nuanced…It is not just a simple, you know, religious matter.’ He also pointed out other drivers of violence including youth unemployment, climate change and state collapse.
Asked if the regional security bloc ECOWAS had been weakened by the withdrawal of three Sahelian ‘AES’ states (Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger) Minister Ablakwa said:
‘ECOWAS is still strong’ and spoke of Ghana’s plans to increase defence spending, build the country’s first electronic warfare centre, and improve its ISR capability.
Addressing AES countries’ poor relations with France, and Ghana’s viewpoint, Minister Ablakwa said:
‘We have to admit that there is a genuine concern in francophone Africa that their relations with France will have to be reset and that there is a need for a new approach.’
He also pointed to the responsibility of the international community in delivering security:
‘Terrorism taking root is a threat to the entire global community…the challenges we face today are direct consequences of certain actions by the international community, from Afghanistan to Syria to Libya…. not having a post Gaddafi plan, how we deal with the regime change agenda in Libya. We’ve had to bear the brunt.
‘What is going on now in the Middle East is going to further aggravate the situation. As you chase out the terrorists and dismantle those cells which you don’t want close to you, they will have to relocate… Should we allow Africa to be their safe haven?’
The panel event formed part of the Chatham House Africa Programme’s ongoing work on African peace and security. The Programme will shortly launch a new project focused on regional conflict systems in the Horn of Africa, the Sahel and Central Africa.