Maputo, 1 Oct (AIM) – The Mozambican Minister of Defense, Cristóvão Chume, believes that the eradication of terrorism from Africa demands community empowerment, and reduction in poverty and illiteracy.
According to Chume, who was speaking on Friday, in Maputo, during the closing session of a conference entitled “Mobilizing Collective Intelligence to Combat and Prevent Violent Extremism and Terrorism in Africa”, governing in favor of the well-being of the population can help stop the spread of terrorist actions on the African continent, including in the northern Mozambican province of Cabo Delgado.
The Minister also pointed to the need to establish a greater relationship with local communities in order to successfully identify and eliminate extremism.
“Partnering with local communities is relevant because they have in-depth knowledge of the social and cultural dynamics in their areas and can play a crucial role in identifying the causes and conditions conducive to extremism”, he said.
African governments, the minister said, must continue making efforts to curb the spread of these extremist groups across the continent.
“If we govern in the interests of our people, of our communities, translating poverty into wealth, I don’t think there will be any conditions for the emergence of terrorism on our continent”, Chume said.
The three day conference was promoted by the Mozambican NGO, the Civil Society Support Mechanism (MASC), in partnership with the European Union.
(AIM)
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