Buhari Writes for FT, Says Africa Needs More than US Military Aid to Defeat Terror

• Says continent is new frontline of global militancy

With the unfolding development in the Afghanistan following United States’ exit after decades of fighting terrorism, President Muhammadu Buhari, has said that some believe that though the war on terror winds down with the US departure, “the threat it was supposed to address burns fiercely on the African continent.”

In an article he wrote in the Financial Times of London,  President Buhari described Africa as the new frontline of global militancy, but lamented that “few expect the outlay expended here (Africa) to be as great as in Afghanistan.”

The Nigerian leader however said Africa needs more than US military aid, positing that building infrastructure, connecting remote regions and providing job will strengthen the continent’s defences.

He noted that the US already had schemes such as Power Africa, which invest in the continent’s essential energy infrastructure.

Buhari however said more must been done, adding, “ultimately, Africans needs not swords but ploughshares to defeat terror. Yes, we require the technological and intelligence support that our armies do not possess. Yet the boots we need on the ground are those of constructors, not military.”

“We must not complacently assume that military means alone can defeat the terrorists. If Afghanistan has taught us a lesson, it is that although sheer force can blunt terror, its removal can cause the threat to return,” he wrote.

While noting that the fight against terrorism which began under the President George W Bush administration was never truly global, Buhari said despite rising attacks across Africa in the past decade, international assistance had not followed in step.

“Mozambique is merely the latest African state in danger from terrorism. The Sahel remains vulnerable to Boko Haram, 20 years after its formation, and other radical groups. Somalia is in its second decade fighting the equally extreme al-Shabaab.

“Many African nations are submerged under the weight of insurgency. As Africans, we face our day of reckoning just as some sense the west is losing its will for the fight. It is true that some of our western allies are bruised by their Middle Eastern and Afghan experiences. Others face domestic pressures after the pandemic. Africa was not then, and even less now, their priority.  But the threat cannot be ignored,” he wrote.

Buhari warned that Covid-19 had been like oxygen for terrorism, allowing it to gain in strength while the world was preoccupied.

He said sooner or later, the reverberations would be felt beyond Africa, warning that, “If extremist groups are able to hold territory, it can inspire disillusioned people living in the west to commit heinous acts of terror in their own countries. The self-proclaimed caliphate of Daesh in Iraq and Syria fulfilled that propaganda function, boosting transcontinental recruitment.”

Buhari argued that the US and its western allies cannot be expected to underpin the security of others everywhere and indefinitely.

“Africa has enough soldiers of our own. However, more can be done to help with technical assistance, advanced weaponry, intelligence and ordinance. The US air strikes last month against al-Shabaab in Somalia — the first of the Biden administration — show what can and should be done,” he added.

The President however noted that what Africa needs most from the US was a comprehensive partnership to close the disparity between our economic and demographic growth.

“Despite having six of the world’s top 10 fastest-growing economies, my continent’s gross domestic product gains are insufficient to provide for burgeoning populations. Since the start of the US-led war on terror in 2001, Africa’s population has nearly doubled. Every day, every month, this means more unemployed or underemployed entering the labour market, far outstripping economic expansion. A lack of hope is the chief recruiting sergeant for the continent’s new brand of terrorism,” he noted.

Buhari therefore said what Africa needed above all was investment in infrastructure, adding that transport and freight lines could spread opportunity across nations unequal in economic strength.

According to him, “In parts of Africa, a government’s grip on remote territories can be tenuous. Militant groups step into the void. Some even provide a form of governance, however perverse. These areas must be connected with their surroundings.  The recent attacks in Cabo Delgado in northern Mozambique illustrate the point. Their target was a vast natural gas project, part of an international investment which extracts wealth but provides few jobs for locals. This fuels grievances in a poverty-stricken province. It is a landing pad for the likes of Daesh. That is why we in Nigeria have begun building a train line from the southern coast through the north-east to Niger, our neighbor.”

President Buhari also addressed in the FT article the criticism that trailed the construction of the rail link between Nigeria and Niger Republic. He said his government had been accused of wasting money  because trade between the two countries was minimal.
“But that is hardly a surprise, given that there is no trade infrastructure between us. The train line will pay dividends in security, s prerequisite for economic growth. Some will remember that Boko Haram originated in north-eastern Nigeria, along the border with Niger. First, they agitated against a lack of opportunity. Then they radicalized into the terrorists we face today,” he said.

Buhari said Africa’s fight against terror is the world’s fight.