Former Chief of Army Staff, retired Lt.-Gen. Tukur Yusuf Buratai, has called on African countries to adopt home-grown solutions and strengthen regional cooperation to address the continent’s growing security challenges.
Buratai made the call on Friday while delivering a keynote address titled “Africa’s Priority Security Threats” at the 32nd Parliamentary Intelligence-Security Forum held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The retired army chief identified terrorism and violent extremism, transnational organised crime, cybersecurity threats, governance-related instability, and the loss of sovereignty caused by overdependence on external support as major challenges threatening Africa’s peace and security.
He stressed that the continent could no longer rely solely on foreign interventions, urging African nations to improve intelligence-sharing mechanisms and develop stronger indigenous security capabilities.
Buratai described the Sahel region as the global centre of terrorism, noting that it accounts for a significant proportion of terrorism-related deaths worldwide.
He revealed that West Africa recorded about 450 terrorist attacks between January and November 2025, leading to over 1,900 deaths.
While acknowledging military successes in countries such as Burkina Faso, Buratai warned that extremist groups remained active and continued to launch deadly attacks despite ongoing counter-terrorism efforts.
The former army chief also expressed concern over the withdrawal of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), saying the development had weakened regional intelligence cooperation and collective security efforts.
He warned that violent extremism was spreading from the Sahel into coastal West African countries, including Benin, while other crimes such as arms trafficking, drug smuggling, piracy and cybercrime continued to pose serious threats.
Buratai urged African governments and security agencies to enhance intelligence collaboration, invest in cyber defence, and build stronger institutions capable of protecting the continent’s security and sovereignty.
Samuel Agada is a writer and media contributor from Olamaboro Local Government Area of Kogi State, Nigeria. He is a graduate of Biochemistry from the University of Jos and a former banker with GTBank and FCMB. A prolific writer, songwriter, educator, and Gospel preacher, he is passionate about informing, inspiring, and impacting society through his work.