Africa security chiefs urged to share information

Mar 23, 2018

According to Kaka, Eastern Africa and the continent in general were facing a paradox with the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) in DR Congo, Al Shabaab in Somalia and Boko Haram in the Sahel.

PIC: The director general of the Internal Security Organisation (ISO), Rtd Col. Frank Kaka Bagyenda, (second-right) with the executive leadership of Committee of Intelligence and Security Services of Africa (CISSA) in the Eastern Africa region outside Pearl of Africa Hotel after closing a a two-day security meeting. Right is the director general of ESO, Ambassador Joseph Ocwet. Left is the organisation's chairman, Lt. Gen. Salah Abdallah Muhammed Saleh and the executive secretary, Shimulet Shimulayan (second-left). (Credit: Eddie Ssejjoba)

SECURITY


KAMPALA - The director general of the Internal Security Organisation (ISO), Col. Frank Kaka Bagyenda has appealed to security chiefs from the Eastern Africa countries to share intelligence information if they are to fight criminality in the region.

Kaka said even during pre-colonial times, states used to share information, which enabled them to effectively deal with threats to peace and security although this was undermined in the colonial period.

Kaka was speaking at the closing of a two-day workshop for intelligence chiefs under their umbrella organisation, Committee of Intelligence and Security Services of Africa (CISSA), where he represented security minister Gen. Elly Tumwine.

"Working together through joint operations, we can begin turning around challenges into opportunities," Kaka told the participants, who included director generals from 12 member states in the region. 

He stressed that beyond just sharing information, they needed to put their collective efforts together to address the common foe, through sharing experiences that make them better in the long-run.

"The government of Uganda takes seriously all matters pertaining to integration and more so those geared towards Pan-Africanism," Kaka said.

He told the CISSA leadership that Uganda would always be available to give assistance aimed at enabling the organisation achieve its objectives.

According to Kaka, Eastern Africa and the continent in general were facing a paradox with the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) in DR Congo, Al Shabaab in Somalia and Boko Haram in the Sahel.

He said all these armed groups and negative forces share the same ideology of establishing an Islamic caliphate.

"Criminal gangs cut across the regions and have networks, you may think that Boko Haram is in Sahel when they have links with ADF," Kaka cautioned.

The director general of the External Security Organisation, Ambassador Joseph Ocwet, told participants that the countries in the region were facing challenges of checking and foiling sources of funding to the armed groups.

"Some of these groups get funding through illegal means and others get support from wealthy individuals, but it is the responsibility of security organisations under CISSA to identify and detect such sources of funding in order to contain terrorism," he said.

Ocwet said that ever since terrorists hit Uganda on July 10, 2010, security had worked around the clock to prevent a repeat of such scenarios.

"At the moment, Uganda is peaceful due to the able leadership of the Commander-in-Chief, President Yoweri Museveni," he explained.

Ocwet, however, said the country cannot sit back, but has taken a number of measures to fight them.

"We should be reminded that armed groups and negative forces like al Qaeda, Islamic State, ADF, Al Shabaab communicate and share information amongst themselves," he said.

According to Ocwet, although these groups have continued to receive funding to operate in Uganda, the security forces were trying to destroy their sources of information and block their funding.
 
"There could be mistrusts and misunderstandings but we try to resolve them.

On whether the recent discoveries of Rwanda using some individuals within the security forces to kidnap refuges and repatriate them would not jeopardise Uganda's relationship with her neighbour, Ocwet said the matter was in court.

Ocwet said although DR Congo, where ADF rebels had their bases was not a member of the CISSA Eastern region, Uganda co-oporates with them on matters of security at a country and continental level.
 
Although the resolutions of the meeting were not disclosed to the press, majority of participants talked about the importance of working together and share information to deal with terrorism.

The Kampala meeting was in preparation of the CISSA main conference in Windhoek, Namibia on June 15.

Next year's meeting is scheduled to take place in Nigeria.

"Every year, we hold a CISSA conference, in 2016 it was held in Kigali and last year it was in Egypt, where Uganda was elected to chair the regional meeting this year," Ocwet said.

The meeting was attended by the CISSA chairperson, Lt. Gen. Salah Abdallah Muhammed Saleh from Sudan and CISSA executive secretary, Shimulet Shimulayan.  

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