Our enemy is within, over 1,000 insurgency groups operate in Africa – Gambari
Former Minister of External Affairs, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, has raised concern over the proliferation of insurgent groups in Africa, putting their number at more than 1,000.
Gambari spoke in Abuja on Monday, during the African Chiefs of Defence Staff Summit 2025, which brought together defence chiefs from 36 countries to discuss regional security threats.
He stressed the need for African nations to first secure their individual states before building regional and continental frameworks, adding that indigenous defence industries and homegrown security technologies were crucial to addressing the challenge.
“We have to first secure our countries before we can secure our regions and then the continent. There are over 1,000 insurgency groups operating in Africa,” Gambari said.
President of ECOWAS, Dr. Omar Touray, also warned of rising insecurity in the Sahel, noting that the region accounted for 51 per cent of conflict-related deaths recorded in Africa in 2024.
Represented by ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Amb. Abdel-Fatau Musah, he urged the UN to fund at least 75 per cent of African-led counterterrorism operations.
Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa, described Africa’s security challenges as complex and borderless, insisting that only an African-led security architecture could guarantee stability.
“The enemy is within; hence we must be the architect of our defence and security,” he said.
Our enemy is within, over 1,000 insurgency groups operate in Africa – Gambari
