Uganda has emphasized the need for stronger regional cooperation to combat terrorism and violent extremism across Africa. The East African country made this call at a meeting held on September 23, 2026, in New York on the sidelines of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly. The event, themed “Good Neighbourliness and Regional Responses to Security and Terrorism Challenges in Africa,” brought together African Union Member States to discuss how stronger ties among neighboring countries can help tackle emerging security threats.
Representing Uganda at the 1369th Ministerial Meeting of the African Union Peace and Security Council was Rebecca Amuge Otengo, Uganda’s Permanent Representative to the African Union and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa. Otengo stressed that terrorism and violent extremism are transnational threats that demand collective action beyond national borders. She noted that terrorist groups exploit ungoverned spaces, local grievances, weak border controls, illicit financial flows, and transnational criminal networks.
Otengo urged for enhanced intelligence-sharing, joint threat assessments, and cooperation among security and law enforcement agencies. She also proposed adequate resourcing of the African Union Counter-Terrorism Centre to strengthen coordination between national and regional centers, support intelligence fusion, and build institutional capacity. This, she believes, will help in addressing the root causes of terrorism.
The Ugandan delegation highlighted the need to strengthen integrated border governance through the African Union Border Programme and the implementation of the Niamey Convention. Otengo emphasized involving border communities in preventing insecurity and linking security with development by investing in public services, livelihoods, and legitimate cross-border trade to transform borderlands into corridors of peace and prosperity.
Uganda further called for the African Standby Force and its regional components to become fully operational with timely deployment capabilities, sustainable logistics, and predictable financing, consistent with Member States’ sovereignty and international law. The delegation identified exclusion, youth unemployment, radicalization, disinformation, arms trafficking, and terrorism financing as critical drivers of terrorism.
The role of women, youth, traditional leaders, civil society, and the private sector as key partners in prevention and community resilience was also stressed by the Ugandan delegation. They advocated for stronger coordination between the African Union, Regional Economic Communities, and Regional Mechanisms to clarify responsibilities and reduce duplication. Sustainable financing for African-led peace and security initiatives was also emphasized.
Ambassador Otengo concluded Uganda’s intervention by calling for trust, shared responsibility, and decisive regional action to deny terrorist groups operating space, protect communities, and advance the goals of Agenda 2063 for a peaceful and secure Africa. She emphasized that Africa’s borders should unite rather than divide security efforts, and that the continent’s collective response to terrorism and violent extremism should be rooted in good neighbourliness, regional cooperation, effective continental institutions, and sustainable financing.
Key points
- Uganda calls for enhanced regional collaboration to address terrorism and violent extremism across Africa
- The need for good neighbourliness, regional cooperation, and sustainable financing in Africa's collective response to terrorism
- Involving border communities and linking security with development to transform borderlands into corridors of peace and prosperity
