The Executive Council session will be followed by the 23rd Ordinary Session of the African Union summit/FILE
Speaking on the sidelines of the 25th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council of the African Union currently underway in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Amina Mohamed said terrorism was a challenge which all countries must join hands to address.
The Executive Council session will be followed by the 23rd Ordinary Session of the African Union summit, which is the top organ of heads of state and government on June 26- 27 June, 2014.
Ambassador Mohamed said time had come for African countries, in particular, to come together and address the menace that is terrorism. This can be done through sharing intelligence information, stemming the growth of rebels groups by ensuring their supply of arms is effectively stopped and setting aside resources to fight the scourge.
“It is not enough to just condemn without following it with actions aimed at stemming terrorism wherever it may be found. A lot more commitment is needed especially resources to fight it,” said Amb Mohamed.
She said Kenya had borne the brunt of terror meted against its citizens and it will henceforth seek to have all countries in Africa take a common approach to address the menace.
“The countries of Africa have to come together on this matter. There is no way an individual country can single-handedly win the war on terror. We must start to ask some hard question; where are these people getting support from. Kenya for example does not manufacture or sell arms, where are these people getting these things? These are questions that must be addressed in a concerted manner if we are to deal with the root course of terror,” said Amb Mohamed.
Amb Mohamed said Kenya looked forward to good deliberations at the 25th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council of the African Union and that the council and indeed the Assembly that comes later in the week will come up with a resolution that will address the challenge of terror.
During the opening session, the Africa Union Chairperson Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma condemned acts of terror that have occurred in Kenya, Nigeria and Somalia.
Kenyans have in the past suffered in the hands of terrorist starting with the 1998 bombing of the United States Embassy to the more recent intermittent attacks from Al Shabaab group from neighbouring Somalia.
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