Former Nigerian Minister of External Affairs, Professor Ibrahim Gambari, has expressed profound concern regarding the escalating number of insurgent groups operating across the African continent, which he estimates to now exceed one thousand.
He delivered this alarming assessment during his address at the African Chiefs of Defence Staff Summit 2025, held in Abuja. The high-level summit brought together defence chiefs from 36 African nations to deliberate on pressing regional security threats and strategies for collective action.
In his remarks, Professor Gambari emphasised a foundational principle for effective continental security: the necessity for each nation to first achieve stability within its own borders before attempting to construct broader regional or continental security frameworks.
He argued that sustainable security solutions must be rooted in the development of indigenous defence industries and the adoption of homegrown security technologies. This approach, he suggested, is crucial for effectively countering the diverse and pervasive threats posed by these numerous insurgent groups.
The summit also heard from other prominent leaders. The President of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Dr. Omar Touray, represented by Commissioner Abdel-Fatau Musah, highlighted the acute insecurity in the Sahel region.
He revealed that the Sahel accounted for a staggering 51 percent of all conflict-related deaths in Africa during 2024.
Dr. Touray made a strong appeal for increased international support, specifically urging the United Nations to fund at least 75 percent of African-led counterterrorism operations. Echoing the call for self-reliance, Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, described Africa’s security challenges as complex and transnational.
He insisted that an African-led security architecture is the only viable path to guaranteeing long-term stability on the continent, stating decisively that the enemy is within and that Africans must be the primary architects of their own defence and security.
Also Read:
ASUU issues ultimatum to Federal Government over unresolved University crisis
President Tinubu meet with the Brazilian President over bilateral ties
INEC presents certificate of return to Zamfara Lawmaker-Elect following by-election
cc: Daily Post NG
