CISSA Members with President
Buhari
CISSA Members with President
Buhari
Africa’s Spymasters Declare Social Media a Security
Threat, Exploited by Subversive Elements
The Committee of Intelligence and Security Services of Africa
(CISSA) has declared some activities in the social media as a
national, regional and continental security threat.
This was contained in a Final Communique issued at the end of
the 16th Ordinary Session of CISSA at the National Intelligence
Agency (NIA) Abuja on July 14-20, 2019.
In the Communique obtained by PRNigeria, Director-Generals and
Heads of Africa’s Intelligence Services noted that “despite the
many benefits of social media, it is increasingly being exploited
by some subversive elements and negative forces to destabilize
African countries.
“Conference therefore agreed that social media represents a
threat and resolved to take necessary measure to check it whilst at
the same time guaranteeing the citizens’ rights to
information.”
The Conference also noted with concern, the increasing security
threats experienced by some African countries and resolved to
support efforts by Governments to restore peace and stability in
these countries.
To this end, the Conference reaffirmed its commitment to further
enhance mutual confidence among members and to exchange
intelligence to serve their common objectives, including the
attainment of the goal of a conflict-free Africa as envisioned by
African Heads of State and Government.
CISSA further took stock of the gains made since its 15th
Conference in Windhoek, Namibia in contributing to the building of
a “conflict-free African continent as per the African Union Master
Roadmap of Practical Steps to Silence the Guns in Africa by year
2020”.
In a related development, the Conference extensively deliberated
on the theme: Illicit Financial Outflows from Africa and Their
Impact on National Security and Development’, noting that “a common
thread that permeated throughout all the presentations was that
Africa loses billions of dollars annually in Illicit Financial
Outflows (IFOs), which has become a serious threat to the
continent’s sustainable development, governance as well as peace
and security agenda”.
The Africa’s intelligence and security Services umbrella body
warned that this threat of IFOs undermines the efforts to combat
terrorism and the attainment of its Agenda 2063, including its
flagship project of Silencing the Guns by 2020.
Against this backdrop, CISSA in the Communique said it has
examined various means by which Member Services could support
national, regional and continental efforts to combat IFOs, such as
tracing and recovery of the illicit funds lodged outside the
continent and the proper utilisation of theses recovered assets for
national development.
The Conference commended President Muhammadu Buhari for gracing
the event and more importantly, underscoring the continued
relevance of CISSA in the fight against transnational organised
crime, terrorism and other security threats on the continent.
Buhari had during the opening session of the Conference,
expressed concern that IFOs have reduced Africa’s tax revenues,
undermined trade, investment opportunities and deepened poverty
thereby impacting negatively on the state of human security on the
continent.
At the end, the Conference commended NIA, the Nigerian
government and people for excellent hosting of the event as well as
reaffirmed its acceptance of the offers by Egypt and Botswana to
host the 17th and 18th CISSA Conferences in 2020 and 2021
respectively.
By PRNigeria
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