By Frank Kamuntu
Senegal’s President Macky Sall said on Tuesday that Africa has become a battleground for external forces, urging African nations to band together and fight terrorism.
President Sall, who was on a two-day state visit to Uganda, called on African countries to work together to ensure security on the continent at a joint press conference with his counterpart Yoweri Museveni following their meeting at the State House in Entebbe, 32 kilometers (20 miles) from the capital Kampala.
“In some ways, it is evident that Africa today has become a fighting ground for many international communities,” he said, adding that “We must look into ways to stop it, including using intelligence.”
In Africa, there are numerous terrorist organizations, and “we must collaborate and pool our resources to fight terrorism,” he stressed.
He said Uganda assists many African countries in providing security. He urged African countries to collaborate on joint security and intelligence sharing to root out militancy on the continent.
The visiting Head of State condemned the recent attack and killing of innocent students in Kasese and expressed his condolences to the parents, the community of Kasese and Ugandans in general. He expressed the need to continue with the fight against terrorism across the continent.
“The experience in East Africa for example could inspire us and also inspire all other African countries. In West Africa, yes, there are a lot of terrorism activities in the Sahel zone and the Lake Chad area. Different groups terrorize people and nations. We must work together and mutualize our common understanding of this problem and also put together our resources to fight it. We must examine our ways including intelligence and why not adopt symmetric measures to have them established?” he wondered.
President Museveni, for his part, underscored the need for collective efforts by African countries to ensure regional and continental security. He also urged African countries to work together in security and economic matters.
