Nigerian priest leads global counterterrorism talks in Switzerland

World

Geneva conference addresses the growing use of drones by non-state actors

Amid growing concern over terrorists deploying drone technology as a principle of war, a Nigerian priest led global talks to beat terrorists at their own game.

A high-powered audience at a conference in Geneva, Switzerland, played host to the executive director of The Kukah Centre, Father Atta Barkindo, on April 25.

“In the last two decades, there has been a rapid increase in the use of drone technologies among armed forces, providing them with more situational awareness through ‘eyes-in-the- sky’ and deploying them in response to emerging threats,” Father Barkindo said in his talk on “Non-state actors and military drones in Nigeria and the Lake Chad Region.”

“These developments are also reflected in broader political and legal discussions around the use of lethal force in and outside armed conflicts as well as around the need to adapt arms export control measures to this new reality.

“One particular novelty is the growing use of drones by non-state actors, which has posed additional regional security challenges. Over the last decade, these trends have also been increasingly observed on the African continent and are reshaping the discourse of peace and security in the region.”

The Kukah Centre is a Nigeria-based policy research institute.

“The Geneva Centre for Security Policy seeks to explore opportunities to expand the role of the African Union and African states in the wider debate on the use of drones in military and counterterrorism operations”

Father Barkindo explained that he hoped that the roundtable would address the policy gaps in discussions on the opportunities and challenges of military drones.

“The Geneva Centre for Security Policy seeks to explore opportunities to expand the role of the African Union and African states in the wider debate on the use of drones in military and counterterrorism operations,” he said.

The cleric maintained that the conference, jointly organized by the Geneva Centre for Security Policy and PAX, is “a unique opportunity for representatives from permanent missions to the UN in Geneva to get updated on the most recent developments in the field of uncrewed systems by legal, military and export control experts, while also serving as a space for dialogue on the novel questions arising from the growing use of these technologies for military and policing operations.”

Father Barkindo presented data to the Oslo Military Drones Conference in 2019. He has conducted research on the growing use of armed drones in counterterrorism in Nigeria and the implications on civilian populations.

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