ACSRT reaches common approach to combat extremism in Libya

The participants in the workshop organized by African Centre for the Study and Research on Terrorism (ACSRT) in Algeria reached a common approach among the Africans to combat extremism across Libyan borders phenomenon.

According to Algerian state media, the two-day event was attended by a host of regional experts and security officials.

The workshop, concluded its activities on Thursday, was held under the title "The impact of the security situation in Libya, counter-terrorism and fighting against violent extremism on the members of the African Union and the neighboring countries of Libya." It was the first time for Algeria to host such event.

Representative of the Algerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Hamid Bokrev, said that the fight against the phenomenon of violent extremism requires coordinating efforts and partnership to secure the border. He added that the institutional vacuum affected negatively the security situation and stability in Libya, calling for the formation of a national unity government in the capital Tripoli, under the auspices of the United Nations.

Head of ACSRT, Larry Gbevlo-Lartey, called for the participants to gather as much information to determine the current security situation across the borders of Libya, noting that the aim of the workshop is to understand the security situation there, so as to achieve the desired goals, which will be dicussed later in the next African Summit, scheduled to be held in Addis Ababa.

The ACSRT was established in 2004 pursuant to the decision of the AU High-Level Inter-Governmental Meeting on the Prevention and Combating of Terrorism in Africa, held in Algiers in September 2002.

The Sudanese Ambassador to Algeria, Essam Awad Metwally, explained the situation in Libya for the participants, saying that some countries try to resolve the Libyan crisis through the marginalization of some parties. He warned that the Libyan crisis could plague the whole region, due to the continuous leak of weapons and the movement of extremist groups, asserting that the Libyan issue can only be solved by Libyans themselves, without exception of any party.