U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Bliken has said that America was committed to lasting peace and security in the African region.
He disclosed this on Tuesday in Abuja after meeting with President Bola Tinubu during his visit to Nigeria on his African nations tour.
Bliken, however, said that the initiatives of America would greatly depend on the region’s dependable efforts at ensuring safety of civilian populations.
“Having said that, it’s important that we be working to support our partners who are trying to find effective ways of providing security and we are working to support Nigeria in working to support our Lake Chad region partners.
“To strengthen the capacity of their security forces in a whole variety of ways to deal with insecurity. And yes, that does go to equipment and technology for weapons and we’re working on that.
“But it also goes to many other things including information sharing, intelligence, technical support, advice, and it goes to having a comprehensive approach that genuinely focuses on citizen security.
“Working with local communities, in partnership, demonstrating the security forces that are there, first and foremost, to protect them and to support their needs.”
He said that the U.S. was concerned about the securoty challenges faced by Africa in securing the region from extreme terrorism, violence and other criminal activities that affects the people.
He decried the increase in poor security and resort to undemocratic means of changing democratically elected leaders like the situation in the Niger Republic.
Bliken said that the collaboration between the Afircan countries and America must be based on critical regional strategies in addressing these situations.
“So when you look at what we are doing, we’re providing assistance through a variety of methods through our diplomacy.
“Engaging with other countries through our security systems, through police and military justice programmes, reforms, which are vital through dialogue efforts through development programmes, all of these things work hand in hand.
“Now, it’s also vitally important from our perspective and the perspective of our Congress, that there’ll be a focus on making sure that civilians are protected.
“That humanitarian considerations be taken into consideration and into concern. As all of these efforts are underway, and that’s part of our dialogue and conversation too, with our partners in Nigeria, and elsewhere in the region.”
He said that the U.S. would continue to collaborate with regional and global partners to ensure that vatious strategies are employed to solve the worsening security situation in the continent