Mahama urges Alliance of Sahel States to open up to international support against terrorism

President John Dramani Mahama has urged the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) nations to embrace international support in their battle against terrorism. Speaking at the Financial Times Africa Summit in London, Mahama suggested that countries committed to combating terrorism should be permitted to offer assistance, which could include intelligence, logistics, and technical training.

He provided Ghana's collaboration with the UK, Germany, France, and the United States as a prime example of how countries can cooperate with international partners to tackle security threats. "In Ghana, we work with the UK. We work with Germany. We work with France. We work with the US. We share intelligence. We do training together," Mahama stated.

He proposed that AES countries should adopt a similar approach, allowing interested partners to assist in their fight against terrorism. "I believe that the AES countries should open up so that anybody who's interested in assisting in the fight against terrorism should be able to do so," Mahama added. He emphasized the need for West Africa to establish a new framework for regional cooperation to enhance efforts against terrorism.

"Especially, we need a new framework of cooperation in West Africa," Mahama commented. The AES consists of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, which have sought closer security and political collaboration following their exit from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). Mahama's remarks come in the face of persistent security issues in the Sahel, where terrorist groups have perpetrated attacks in multiple countries.