The Chairperson of the Commission of the African Union (AU), Jean Ping, has learned of the US operation that took place in Abbottabad, Pakistan, on 1st May 2011, during which the Al?Qaeda leader, Osama bin Laden, was killed. He notes that this operation marks a major development in the global efforts against terrorism, and constitutes a significant contribution to the implementation of the United Nations strategy on preventing and eliminating terrorism.
The Chairperson of the Commission recalls that Al?Qaeda is responsible for numerous and deadly terrorist attacks on African soil, including the 1998 bombings in Kenya and Tanzania. The African continent continues to pay a heavy toll to the scourge of terrorism, as illustrated, among others, by the prevailing situation in Somalia, with continued attacks against the Somali people and institutions, the bomb attack in Kampala, in July 2010, and the continued terrorist acts in Northern Africa and in the Sahelo?Saharan region by groups that claim allegiance to Al?Qaeda and its leader.
Against this background, the Chairperson of the Commission urges the African countries to pursue and intensify their efforts, within the framework of relevant AU instruments on the prevention and combating of terrorism. He reiterates AU's commitment to cooperate with all its partners to this end, including through information sharing, closer coordination on the ground and addressing the root causes of terrorism. He calls on all international partners to spare no efforts to assist in further developing Africa's role in the global counter?terrorism cooperation, including through the implementation of the goals and programmes of the African Centre for the Study and Research on Terrorism (ACSRT).
