Two bills to prevent and fight terrorism, among four others, were adopted on November 24, 2014.

The National Assembly yesterday, November 24, 2014, took a step to enable the country effectively fight terrorism by adopting two Organisation of African Unity, OAU conventions.

The sitting was chaired by the Speaker, Hon. Cavaye Yeguie Djibril. The Chairpersons Conference held before the plenary.

Algiers OAU Convention On Terrorism

The bill authorises the President of the Republic to ratify the Organisation of African Unity, OAU, Convention on the Prevention and Combatting of Terrorism, which was adopted in Algiers, Algeria, on 14 July 1999. The Convention seeks to take appropriate measures, in the light of the scope and gravity of the phenomenon, especially with recurrent Boko Haram incursions into the Far North Region.

Addis Ababa OAU Convention On Terrorism

The second allows the President of the Republic to ratify the Protocol to the OAU Convention on the Prevention and Combatting of Terrorism, adopted in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on 8 July 2004. Its main purpose is to enhance the effective implementation of the Convention and to give effect to Article 3 (d) of the Protocol relating to the establishment of the Peace and Security Council of the African Union. All two bills were adopted in the light of recent threats to national territorial integrity from Central African Republic armed gangs in the East and Boko Haram militants in the Far North Region.

Concerns Of MPs

Honorables Mbah Ndam, Joseph Banadzem, Njong Evaristus, expressed concern at the lack of official information on Boko Haram. They said government’s failure to brief the nation on the war had given room to a lot of rumour. They also said the fact that the Algiers Convention was adopted 15 years ago and is only being brought to the National Assembly now, suggested government’s lack of concern, except for the advent of Boko Haram.

Government Response

Cabinet ministers provided responses to concerns raised by the MPs. Other bills adopted yesterday were the AU Charter On Cultural Renaissance adopted in Khartoum, Sudan, on 24 January 2006; the AU Convention On Internally-displaced Persons adopted in Kampala, Uganda, on 22 October 2009; the Ordinance On Petroleum Tax Reductions of 7 July 2014, and the Lake Chad Basin Water Charter adopted in N’Djamena, Chad, on 30 April 2012.

Present to provide additional answers on the bills were the following:  the Minister of State for Justice and Keeper of the Seals, Laurent Esso, Rene Emmanuel Sadi of Territorial Administration and Decentralisation, Ama Tutu Muna of Culture, Economy, Emmanuel Nganou Djoumessi of Planning and Regional Development, and the Minister Delegate in MINREX in charge of Relations with the Islamic World, Adoum Gargoum.