Nigeria, US Agree to Lead Global Coalition against Boko Haram

The Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), Saturday, disclosed that Nigeria and the United States of America have agreed to lead a global coalition against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and other terrorist groups around the world.

A statement by ONSA Saturday in Abuja, said the decision was reached at a virtual meeting of the 82-member global coalition drawn from Africa, America, Asia, Europe and the Middle East on Tuesday.

The meeting, according to the statement, noted that the challenges of global terrorism had negatively impacted on the economy, polity and livelihoods of people.

ONSA said the virtual meeting, which was co-chaired by the coordinators of the National Counter Terrorism of Nigeria and US also had the Africa Union, European Union, ECOWAS and G5 Sahel represented among other international and regional organisations.

According to agency report, the coordinator of the Nigerian Counter Terrorism Centre, Yaminu Musa, represented Nigeria’s delegation led by the National Security Adviser (NSA), BabaganaMonguno.

ONSA noted that the challenges of global terrorism had negatively impacted on the economy, polity and livelihoods of people as apparent in the Sahel, Lake Chad Basin and parts of North-eastern Nigeria.

It said the meeting deliberated on key issues including sessions on understanding and countering the ISIS threat.

“The session, moderated by U.S. Special Envoy for the Sahel, Ambassador J. Peter Pham, had panelists from Global Coalition members Cameroon, Chad, Guinea, Niger, and co-host Nigeria providing key perspectives on evolution of ISIS affiliates and their troubling activities in West Africa.

“The panelists also provided useful ways the Global Coalition could enhance efforts to curb the expanding influence of ISIS in West Africa and the Sahel.

“Discussions also centred on lessons learnt from the fight against ISIS in Iraq and Syria and reviewing of potential lines of efforts, including the use of battlefield evidence and border security measures and how these lessons and lines of efforts could be applied in West Africa and the Sahel,” it stated.

ONSA said Nigeria’s roles in the fight against terrorism in the sub-region was acknowledged and applauded during the meeting, adding that the leading role of Nigeria under President Muhammadu Buhari towards defeating terrorism in West Africa was commended.

The meeting, the statement claimed, noted that ISIS was undermining state authorities and peoples’ means of livelihood across the globe, particularly in Africa, where more affiliates were springing up.

“It was stressed that terrorists across the globe exploit some drivers, including economic imbalance and marginalisation among other local grievances to penetrate the local population.

“The meeting called for more measures to counter radicalisation, recruitment of gullible individuals and concerted global efforts to defeat ISIS.“At the end of the meeting, the co-host, Nigeria and USA, as well as the 82-member global coalition, reaffirmed full commitment to defeating ISIS and other terror groups including ISWAP and Boko Haram in Nigeria.

“Nigeria also expressed her readiness to seek more support and partnership within the activities and mandates of the Global Coalition against ISIS to enhance its ongoing operations against terrorism in the North East and efforts in preventing and countering violent extremism in the country,” it added.

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