Russia, with its rich experience in combating terrorism, can contribute to the regional anti-terrorism center in Africa, as proposed by Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, Djibril Gningue, director of the peace and security research unit of GRADEC (the research group for participatory democracy and good governance), told Sputnik Africa.
He added that Russia is now helping with security in the countries of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) - Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger - and, if successful, could be more effective than other states.
"If Moscow succeeds in this first test with these countries, it will be able to make a much more effective contribution than the African Union's traditional partners to the establishment and operation of this center," Gningue stressed, adding that the center should unite the forces of AES states.
The expert noted that several African countries in the Sahel are facing terrorism without the support of the international community and described the AU Peace and Security Commission and the Economic Community of West African States as "inoperative."
Gningue also pointed to the link between Western interventions and the spread of terrorism in Africa, citing the example of Libya, whose "plunder by Western countries contributed greatly to the spread of terrorism in the Sahel."
Regarding the capacity with which the center should operate, the analyst said that it should be the continent's financial, material and logistical resources.
Nigerian President Bola Tinubu's proposal for the creation of a regional anti-terrorism center in Africa came from his speech at the high-level meeting on counter-terrorism in Abuja on Monday. He also pointed to the need to implement the AU decision of May 2022 on the formation of an all-inclusive AU Ministerial Committee on Counter-Terrorism.