Ras Mubarak, Lead Campaigner of the Trans Africa Tourism and Unity Campaign, has urged the African Union (AU) to take decisive steps to confront the growing threat of terrorism in West Africa.

His call follows a deadly attack in a volatile security zone in Burkina Faso that left eight Ghanaian nationals dead and several others injured.

Speaking on The Point of View on Channel One TV on Wednesday, February 18, Ras Mubarak described the incident as “very tragic” and stressed that terrorism on the continent demands a collective and coordinated response.

“This is a situation that not just the countries that are affected, but the entire continent would have to work together in dealing with it,” he said.

He questioned why the AU could not deploy troops to troubled hotspots such as Nigeria and Burkina Faso to curb extremist activities, arguing that a coalition of willing African states could be mobilised to restore stability.

“I don’t see the reason the AU can’t send troops to, say, Nigeria to nip the terrorist activities in the bud.

I don’t see the reason why they can’t send troops to Burkina Faso.

You could build a coalition of countries that are willing to contribute troops.

And this is possible,” he stated.

Ras Mubarak referenced past African peacekeeping missions in Sierra Leone, Liberia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo as examples of successful regional cooperation.

According to him, sustained conflict continues to undermine development across affected countries, destroy communities and create opportunities for profiteering amid instability.

“If we were able to do it in Sierra Leone and Liberia and Congo — even though Congo is fully backed by the UN with a lot of resources — we should be able to do it for the rest of the African countries,” he said.

He warned that without decisive continental action, insecurity will continue to stifle growth and keep many African nations trapped in cycles of underdevelopment.