AFRICAN intelligence organisations have been urged to unite and design strategies that fully combat terrorism.
Addressing intelligence gurus at the official dinner of the Bureau meeting of Committee of Intelligence and Security Services (CISSA) in Harare this week, Finance and Economic Development Minister Patrick Chinamasa urged the intelligence gurus to establish an effective sharing and working relationship to defeat terrorism.
Cde Chinamasa said there was need for intelligence organisations to co-operate and harmonise their laws on terrorism in their quest to fight the problem.
He said efforts to combat terrorism have been hampered by jurisdiction issues.
“War on terrorism can only be won using military, intelligence and law enforcement methods,” said Cde Chinamasa.
Minister Chinamasa attacked human rights activists, who claim that increased police and security organisations hinder traditional civil liberties and human rights principles.’
He emphasised the need to defeat terrorism which he said required going after terrorists and taking their groups apart.
“Law enforcement helps in disrupting terrorist plots through arrests, and incapacitates terrorists through incarceration resulting from prosecution,” said Cde Chinamasa.
Addressing the same meeting Minister of Presidential Affairs Didymus Mutasa said there was need for Africa to enhance the continent’s security architecture to fight terrorism.
Minister Mutasa blamed the West for breeding extremists, who use Africa as a platform to launch attacks and in the process destroy Africa’s infrastructure.
“The sum total of these violent confrontations has been massive collateral damage to our infrastructure and the deaths of innocent civilians,” said Cde Mutasa.
He said the advent of terrorism has been abused by countries such as the US, which has a joint command base in a number of African countries, code named United States Africa Command (AfriCom).
“International terrorism groups have continued to take advantage of instability in some parts of the continent to perpetrate their activities,” he said.
“This has contributed to the unwarranted foreign military deployments and interventions in Africa, particularly by the United States under the guise of fighting terrorism.
“Indications are that, these military deployments could pre-curse the establishment of permanent foreign military bases on the continent.
“Terrorists would then target Africa as a battleground where they can convincingly take on Western interest.”
Director General of the Central Intelligence Organisation, Retired Major General Happyton Bonyongwe said the bureau meeting had come against the backdrop of increasing incidents of international terrorism in Africa.
“This followed the realisation that the number and scale of terrorist attacks on the continent was on an upward trajectory and that terrorism and extremism were becoming the biggest threats to security and stability on the African continent,” he said.
The intelligence chief said the meeting brought together the leadership of CISSA to exchange perspectives and provide intelligence and strategic leadership to the expectant continental public on the actual situation and the measures that should be taken to dilute the menace.
The bureau meeting sought to find ways that various security agencies can fight terrorism on the continent.
The meeting was attended by intelligence chiefs from Algeria, Botswana, Cote D’lvoire, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Lesotho, Nigeria, Sudan and Zimbabwe.
Kenya, Mali and Somalia, which are not members of the Bureau, were also represented.