Second Regional Security Summit: What you need to know

13 May 2016 | FACTSHEET: THE SECOND REGIONAL SECURITY SUMMIT (RSS)
THEME:
• CONSOLIDATING COLLECTIVE EFFORTS FOR REGIONAL PEACE AND DEVELOPMENT
DATE:
• Saturday May 14, 2016
VENUE:
• Transcorp Hilton, Abuja, Nigeria
OBJECTIVES:
The Regional Security Summit holding in Abuja tomorrow is the second edition of a gathering that first held in Paris, France, on May 17, 2014, with the following objectives:
• Strengthen Cooperation between the member states of the Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC) and Benin Republic
• Combat Boko Haram
• Establish a Regional Intelligence Fusion Unit (RIFU)
• Ensure the safe release of the Chibok Girls
Since the 1st Edition held in Paris, there have been four (4) Ministerial Meetings, one each in Paris, London, Washington, DC, and Abuja, to facilitate the realisation of the Objectives.
The Abuja Summit has the following Objectives:
• Regional Member Countries will report on gains and challenges so far in combating Boko Haram, as well as conduct an honest appraisal of successes and failures
• Develop an Action Plan for the Basic Infrastructural Development of the Areas worst affected by the War on Terror. The Reconstruction will focus on Medical Centers, Schools, Roads and Water Supply Schemes
• Facilitate the reunion of more than 6,000 orphans in various IDP Centers with their biological families
• Enhance the operations of the Regional Intelligence Fusion Unit (RIFU) by improving cooperation and intelligence sharing between the countries of the region and the Strategic Partners
• Seek the cooperation of Development Partners for the Implementation of the 916 million Euro Lake Chad Development and Climate Resilience Action Plan
• Ensure implementation of the Support Implementation Agreement (SIA) signed between the Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC) and the African Union Commission (AUC), as well as the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the AUC, LCBC and Troop Contributing Countries, on January 29, 2016
• Rededicate efforts towards the continuing search for the Chibok Girls
WHO WILL BE PARTICIPATING IN THE ABUJA SUMMIT?
• Heads of State from Benin Republic, Cameroon, Chad, Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, France, Gabon, Ghana, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal and Togo
• Ministers from the United States, United Kingdom, and the Peoples Republic of China
• Representatives of the United Nations, African Union Commission, Gulf of Guinea Commission, European Union Commission, ECOWAS, Economic Community of Central African States, Organisation Islamic Conference, Inter-Regional Coordination Center of the Gulf of Guinea Commission, Lake Chad Basin Commission, World Bank, IMF, French Agency for International Development, African Development Bank, Islamic Development Bank, Cooperation In International Waters in Africa
PROGRESS MADE SINCE 1ST SUMMIT:
• Reactivation of the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) with 8,500 officers and men from Cameroon, Chad, Niger, Nigeria, Benin, with headquarters in Ndjamena, Chad
• Establishment of the Inter-Regional Coordination Center, based in Yaounde, Cameroon, under the aegis of the Gulf of Guinea Commission, to coordinate and disseminate intelligence and security information to all member states
• Establishment of the Regional Intelligence Fusion Unit (RIFU) in Abuja, to enable pooling of intelligence resources.
• Establishment of Special Military Units by Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroon, to prosecute the War on Terror
• Admission of Benin Republic to the group, to allow it support the efforts of its neighbours
• Development of an Action Plan by the Lake Chad Basin Commission, for the Infrastructural Development of Nigerian Communities worst affected by the War on Terror, with a view to enabling the speedy and safe return of Displaced Persons to their homes.
• Hosting, in December 2015, of the COP 21 side event, during which the Lake Chad Development and Climate Resilience Action Plan (LCDCRAP), a systematic development plan for the Lake Region, was presented to donor countries and organisations, with a view to raising 916 million Euros.

By Aso Rock Villa.