Africa Faces Alarming Spread of Insurgency, Says Gambari

By Diafa Doubra,

At the African Chiefs of Defence Staff Summit in Abuja, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, a former Minister of External Affairs and Nigeria’s ex-Permanent Representative to the United Nations, raised an urgent alarm, more than 1,000 insurgent and terrorist groups are now active across Africa.

Addressing summit attendees, Gambari warned that this proliferation was not just a regional problem it was a continental crisis demanding immediate, coordinated action. He urged African states to move beyond reactionary measures and instead build indigenous defence industries, develop homegrown technologies, and design their own security architecture that prioritizes human safety.

Supporting this view, ECOWAS representatives highlighted that the Sahel region accounted for 51% of terrorism-related deaths in 2024, underscoring the severity and uneven impact of the insurgency crisis. Meanwhile, Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa, emphasized that “the enemy is within,” stressing the necessity of an African led and collaborative approach to security.