Former Minister of external affairs and former Nigeria’s permanent representative to the United Nations Prof. Ibrahim Gambari says there are over 1000 insurgency groups operating within the African continent.
He stated this in a good will message at the African Chiefs of Defence Staff summit 2025 with the theme “combating contemporary threats to regional peace and security in Africa: the role of strategic defence collaboration” holding in Abuja.
LEADERSHIP reports that out of 54 African countries,36 were represented.
While Niger Republic representative honoured the invitation, Mali and Burkina Faso were conspicuously absent.
Their absence may not be unconnected with the political tension between the countries and the regional bloc ECOWAS.
Gambari called on African nations to first secure their various nations before securing the region and continent at large.
According to, Gambari, African nations must strengthen defence industries and own it’s technologies in an effort to address threats.
He further urged African nations to design and build own security architecture that guarantees human security.
“We have to first secure our countries before we can secure our regions and then the continent. Securing Nigeria has placed Nigeria at the forefront of securing the region and continent. There are over 1000 insurgency groups operating in Africa,”
The President of Economic Community of West Africa States Omar Alieu Touray represented by ECOWAS commissioner for political affairs,peace and security Ambassador Abdel-Fatau Musah said the Sahel region accounted for 51 percent of deaths in 2024.
He appealed to the United Nations to fund at least 75 percent of African led operations to counter terrorism.
Earlier,the Chief of Defence Staff General Christopher Musa in his welcome remarks said the challenges bedeviling the continent defies borders hence, the need for collaborative efforts.
General Musa stressed the need for an African led security architecture to secure it citizens.
He assured that the Nigerian Armed Forces are ready to work with their colleagues across borders to tame terrorism and other threats.
According to the CDS, the enemy is within ,hence,”we must be the architect of our defence and security,” he added.