Boko Haram Threats - Paris Set for Franco-African Summit

Leaders of countries that share boundaries with Nigeria are expected in Paris tomorrow to discuss security concerns caused by Boko Haram.

Paris is at last set to host an important summit on one of the most disturbing, indeed an unpleasant surprise to humanity - the insecurity in Nigeria, more precisely the Boko Haram uprising.

The summit which opens tomorrow at the Elysée, France's State House, is expected to have in attendance leaders of African countries that share a common border with the Federal Republic of Nigeria, besides France, the host country. The United States of America, Great Britain and the European Union will also be represented in this important summit which opens tomorrow, Saturday 17 May 2014.

Masterminded by President François Hollande whose country is often referred to as Africa's best friend and one of the greatest investors on the continent, the summit will besides delving into ways and means of weathering the storm that is causing loss of life and prosperity in Nigeria, x-ray other causes of national and regional insecurity in Africa and then mobilize the international community to help redress the dreadful trends.

Tomorrow's programme for the Summit will include three main points. The leaders of the various delegations will begin exchange at a breakfast table before moving to an opening plenary that is intended to last some three hours and finally a press conference and Summit declaration will close the discussions. The main focus of the gathering will be to examine the devastating consequences of the extremist Boko Haram sect that has been creating a wave of insecurity in Nigeria with the potential of spreading the terror to neighbouring countries.

For Cameroon, such a Summit is timely given that President Paul Biya has spearheaded similar gatherings before. The June 2013 Summit on Maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea that held in Yaounde took lasting measures in tackling threats of that nature and the results are being felt on the ground. With the Far-North of Cameroon having suffered sporadic attacks certainly masterminded by the Boko Haram sect, the Staff of Cameroon's Embassy in France led by Ambassador Lejeune Mbella Mbella are mobilising for the Paris Summit tomorrow. Even Cameroonians in the Diaspora have been working hard to see that this important summit yields the expected fruits.

With a press conference during which the leaders of the five participating countries will take questions on the disturbing security problems, the public will have the chance to know more of how prepared the African countries and their French partners are ready for any further threats on the continent and what is being done to alter the trends. Already, experts agree that the challenge concerns all citizens who have to contribute to the security we need for stability and progress.

In a chat with a European observer in Paris yesterday, he remarked that it was indeed laudable a step for a Summit to be held in Paris because of the horrible things that are going on in Africa. He hoped that the talks would result in concrete actions aimed at stalling the atrocities. The horrific abduction of over 200 Nigerian school girls last month could just be a symptomatic occurrence that must be handled with determination and tact, as the Paris summit suggests.