The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, under the auspices of the Gabriel L. Dennis Foreign Service Institute, will hold a special panel discussion under the topic: “The Threat of Terrorism in the West African Region and the Need for Greater Collaboration among West African Nations.”

According to a Foreign Ministry release, the forum which will be held at the C. Cecil Dennis Jr. Auditorium on Friday afternoon, May 6, 2016, brings together stakeholders including sub-regional ambassadors, the representative of ECOWAS accredited near Monrovia, and security professionals to discuss and devise strategies for collaboration as well as find ways at preventing and combating terrorism within the sub-region. Everyone is invited to attend.

The forum panelists include: the Doyen of the Diplomatic Corps and Ambassador of the Republic of Guinea, His Excellency Mr. Abdoulaye Dore; Ambassador of the Republic of Ghana, His Excellency Kodjo Asimeng Wadee; Ambassador of the Republic of Sierra Leone, His Excellency Brima Acha Kamara and Ambassador of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire, His Excellency Dr. Feni Kouakou.

Others are the Ambassador of the Republic of Cameroon, His Excellency Mr. Beng Yela Augustine Gang; the Charge d’Affairs of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Mr. Mohammed Tahir and the Special Representative of ECOWAS, His Excellency Mr. Tunde Assisomo.

The Policy Advisor at the National Security Agency, Mr. Edward Sharpe will also participate in the panel discussion; while former Information Minister, Dr. Laurence K. Bropleh will serve as moderator.

The reign of terror has elevated to a new level as fanatic groups such as Al-Qaeda, Al-Shabaab, and most recently the Islamic State in Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS); the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL); and Islamic State (IS) not only killed thousands in the name of Islam, but sent millions of people around the world running for their lives, while followers have spread fear throughout the world.

Africa has not been spared the terror spate. The reemergence of the militant Islamic group, Boko Haram and its allegiance to Al-Qaeda and ISIS, has grown to present a threat not only to Nigeria, but also across Africa. The regional dimension of Boko Haram extends beyond attacks. The group’s criminal activities, such as arms smuggling and drug trafficking, involve several countries, including Chad, the Central African Republic, Cameroon, Benin, Niger, Mali, Sudan, Somalia and Libya.

In the past few years, Boko Haram has killed thousands in its wave of terror attacks. Two and a half million people either fled across borders or are homeless in their own country. With terrorism spreading in Nigeria and among its neighbors, it’s even coming closer to Liberia.

In November 2015, there was a deadly hostage drama at a Malian Hotel when gunmen stormed the five-star Radisson Blu hotel in Bamako, Mali, taking hostages and killing at least 21 persons. In January 2016 gunmen attacked the Cappuccino restaurant and the Splendid Hotel in the heart of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso killing 30 person, while at least 56 were wounded; a total of 176 hostages were released after a government counter-attack into the next morning as the siege ended. Responsibility for the attack was claimed by Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and Al-Mourabitoun. In March 2016, in neighboring Cote d’Ivoire, six gunmen targeted hotels on a beach at Grand Bassam, a weekend retreat popular with Western expatriates about 25 miles east of Abidjan in which 16 people, including four Europeans were killed.