Lucknow: Coinciding with the biggest ever 11th DefExpo in Asia, the first India-Africa Defence Ministers’ Conclave (IADMC) held on February 6 adopted a 18 Point Lucknow Declaration which recognised that peace and security were a key priority for both India and African countries.
More so, “Silence The Guns: Creating conducive conditions for African Development” is the African Union’s theme of the year. This vision is to achieve ‘a conflict-free Africa, prevent genocide, make peace a reality for all and rid the continent of wars, violent conflicts, human rights violations, and humanitarian disasters.
The Declaration condemned in the strongest terms the growing threat of terrorism and acknowledge that it constitutes a major threat to peace and security in the region. It urged all countries to take resolute action in rooting out terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, terrorist safe havens and infrastructure, disrupting terrorist networks and eliminating financing channels and halting cross-border movement of terrorists.
It understood the need for all countries to ensure that all territory under their control is not used to launch terrorist attacks on other countries in any manner. The Declaration emphasised the need for stronger international partnership in countering terrorism and violent extremism, including through increased sharing of information and intelligence.
It recalled the earlier Declarations adopted during the previous Summits which have formed the India-Africa Framework for Strategic Cooperation and cemented the multi-faceted partnership. “We welcome the organisation of this first IADMC in the run-up to India-Africa Forum Summit-IV,” the declaration said.
On this occasion, the Declaration also took note of India’s contribution to defence and security in the African continent through setting up of Defence Academies and Colleges in Nigeria, Ethiopia and Tanzania; deployment of training teams in several African countries including Botswana, Namibia, Uganda, Lesotho, Zambia, Mauritius, Seychelles, Tanzania; goodwill ship visits; provision of defence equipment and ammunitions and various other measures, including Defence Training Programmes.
The Declaration acknowledged the contribution of Indian defence forces in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations such as during cyclone IDAI in Mozambique in 2019 and evacuation of stranded persons of 41 countries through Djibouti in 2018 and various other such operations over the years, including in Madagascar.
It appreciated initiation of Africa India Field Training Exercises with the first ever AFINDEX in March 2019 and agreed that it will further strengthen cooperation in defence preparedness and security.
The Declaration said the two sides were committed to continue collaboration in the fields of peace and security including conflict prevention, resolution, management and peace building through exchange of expertise and training, strengthening regional and continental early warning capacities and mechanisms, enhancing the role of women in peace keeping and propagating the culture of peace.
They agreed to continue to collaborate in peace and security through exchange of experts and expertise, training programmes and capacity building, enhance support towards peacekeeping and post conflict reconstruction in Africa. It welcomed the establishment of the African Union’s International Centre for Conflict Resolution, Peace keeping and Peace building in Cairo as a major contribution to peace and security in Africa.
It called for deeper cooperation in the domain of defence industry including through investment, joint ventures in defence equipment software, digital defence, research & development, provisioning of defence equipment, spares and their maintenance on sustainable and mutually beneficial terms.
The Declaration recognised the common security challenges such as terrorism and extremism, piracy, organised crime including human trafficking, drug trafficking, weapon smuggling and others and agreed to collaborate to tackle them together.
It focussed on the need to significantly increase maritime security through mutual cooperation. Such cooperation will include, but will not be limited to, increased cooperation in securing sea lines of communication, preventing transnational crimes of piracy, trafficking of drugs, arms and humans through surveillance.
The Declaration supported the great strides in reducing the number of violent conflicts in the African continent and intended to continue to support the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and other Africa led efforts to enhance peace and security.
The Defence Ministers and Heads of Delegation from African countries thanked the Government of India for taking the initiative of organising the first ever India-Africa Defence Ministers Conclave.
It was proposed that Defence Ministers from African countries and India meet regularly in future at mutually convenient time and venue.
