Nigeria’s military and the junta in Niger Republic have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to address security challenges in the region.
Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Christopher Musa and his Nigerien counterpart, Moussa Barmou, signed the MoU when met in Niamey, Niger’s capital, on Monday.
The development is coming after the recent tension between both countries following Nigeria’s reaction to the coup in Niger Republic.
Niger later led another neighbouring, Burkina Faso, to pull out of ECOWAS and resisting pleas from the regional bloc to return to the fold.
On Thursday, Tukur Gusau, Director, Defence Information, said the meeting between both countries was targeted at forging a deepened bilateral relationship and exploring opportunities to enhance security cooperation.
He said both security chiefs emphasised the need for maintaining and expanding existing partnerships, including joint military operations, intelligence sharing, and tactical coordination.
“The Defence Chiefs acknowledged the significant impact of the proliferation of small arms and light weapons on security.”
“They also recognized that the widespread accessibility of these weapons contributes to heightened instability and conflict in the region. They further agreed to intensify their efforts in curbing the illicit flow of small arms and light weapons, while pledging to collaborate on initiatives aimed at enhancing border security and supporting regional and international efforts to control and reduce the spread of these weapons.”
The statement added that the Nigerien army affirmed its readiness to resume active participation in security cooperation under the multinational joint task force (MNJT).
Gusau said Barmou, Niger’s army chief of staff, is expected to visit Nigeria to finalise the modalities of the cooperation agreed upon and the creation of a Nigerien advisory group to interface with its Nigerian counterpart.
It was also agreed that the advisory groups should have a joint mandate of developing measures towards strengthening bilateral relationships, the statement added.
Daily Trust reports that the MNJT is a combined multinational formation, comprising units, mostly military, from Benin Republic, Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria.
It is headquartered in N’Djamena, Chad’s capital, and is mandated to bring an end to the Boko Haram insurgency.
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