Speech by Mr Ahmed Attaf at the round table on ‘peace, security and governance’ on the occasion of the third meeting of AU and EU foreign affairs ministers

Thank you, Mr. Co-Chair,

As we reflect on our partnership in this specific area, we must be mindful of three dangerous dynamics, currently shaping Africa’s peace and security landscape:

Firstly, throughout its modern history, Africa has never experienced such a high number of hotbeds of tensions, crises and conflicts at the same time. From the Sahel to the Horn of Africa, from the Great Lakes to parts of North Africa, instability is on the rise, disrupting the lives of millions and threatening the future of the entire continent.
Secondly, and perhaps even more alarming, terrorism has emerged as the primary threat to peace and security in Africa. Today, Africa accounts for more than half of all terrorism-related deaths worldwide, with the Sahel region tragically turning into the global epicenter of terrorism.
Thirdly, and at a time when these challenges are growing bigger, our collective diplomatic response has grown weaker. Mediation efforts and peace processes have not kept pace with the worsening situation, thus leaving a huge vacuum for forces of instability to spread and to expand even more.

Against this background, Algeria firmly believes in the urgent need to reenergize our partnership. We need an action-oriented partnership anchored in the principle of African solutions to Africa’s problems, with the support of our friends and partners committed to helping Africa meet resolutely the challenges it faces and fulfil the aspirations that we share.

A partnership that will firstly reclaim the rightful place of diplomacy at the heart of our common engagement in dealing with the current hotbeds of instability in Africa.
A partnership that will secondly empower better and in more sustainable manner AU Peace-support Operations confronting terrorism and many other evolving threats.
And a partnership that will thirdly and lastly invest more in achieving stability through development, as this remains the best and safest way to bring about durable and sustainable peace in Africa and beyond.