IGAD nations to develop joint anti-terror strategy

The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) member states together with Tanzania on Monday resolved to have a joint regional anti-terror strategy in place by the end of September, officials said on Monday.

IGAD Executive Secretary Mahboub Maalim told a security forum in Nairobi that a regional strategy for preventing and countering violent extremism is required because terror is both a regional and global phenomenal.

"As a result, national mechanisms are not enough to prevent terror attacks hence the need for regional cooperation," Maalim said during the Kenyan Stakeholders Consultative Meeting on the Development of the East Africa Region Preventing and Countering Extremism Strategy.

IGAD member states include Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Sudan, Eritrea and Djibouti.

Maalim said one of the reasons for the joint strategy is the porous nature of borders in the Horn of Africa region.

According to the regional bloc, the Horn of Africa has become a breeding ground for violent extremists.

"We have seen terror networks expand their operations by exploiting the insecurity in the region," he said, adding that it is not enough to defeat terror elements through a militarized approach that has characterized most counter-terrorism efforts.

Kenya's Principal Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Monica Juma, said national anti-terror strategies must help enhance cooperation and coordination across several strategic levels within countries and regions.

Juma said that given the dynamism of the threat of violent extremism that we face today, anti-terror strategies require better understanding of the changing dynamics. Endit