India and 54 African nations today decided to enhance cooperation to combat terrorism in all its forms and manifestations as they called on countries to ensure that their territories are not used for cross-border terror activities.
India and the African countries also decided to boost defence cooperation especially in maritime, through training, capacity building, sharing of information, surveillance and other measures in securing sea lines of communication, preventing piracy among others.
As per the documents - Delhi Declaration and India-Africa Framework for Strategic Cooperation - adopted at the end of the 3rd India-Africa Summit, Africa and India vowed to enhance cooperation and coordination to combat terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including countering violent extremism.
In this regard, they also decided to make concerted efforts for the early adoption of the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism of the UN.
They acknowledged that terrorism and violent extremism have emerged as primary threats to nations and our societies and condemned them in all their forms and manifestations.
"The menace of non-state actors including armed groups has acquired a new dimension as they expanded geographically, acquired resources and new instruments to spread extremist ideology and draw recruits," the Declaration said, adding that tackling this challenge requires global strategy and cooperation.
"We emphasise that no cause or grievance can justify acts of terror and resolve to maintain zero tolerance against terrorism. We call on all countries to ensure that their territories are not used for cross-border terrorist activities. We strongly condemn direct or indirect financial assistance given to terrorist groups or individual members thereof by States or their machinery, to pursue such activities," it said.
