The Chief of Defence Staff ( CDS), General Christopher Musa, and the Chief of Staff of the Nigerien Armed Forces, General Moussa Salaou Barmou, have signed a memorandum of understanding to strengthen regional security.
A statement by the Director of Defence Information Brig-Gen Tukur Gusau said they signed the agreement on Wednesday in Niamey, Republic of Niger.
He said the agreement aims to forge a common goal towards deepening the fraternal bilateral relationship between Nigeria and Niger and exploring opportunities to enhance security cooperation.
He said both parties, during the meeting, recognised the importance of sustained dialogue and collaboration in addressing mutual security challenges and strengthening the strategic partnership between Nigeria and Niger.
“They emphasised the need for maintaining and expanding existing cooperations, including joint military operations, intelligence sharing, and tactical coordination,” he said.
Gusau said the Defence Chiefs acknowledged the significant impact of the proliferation of small arms and light weapons on security, adding that the widespread accessibility of these weapons contributes to heightened instability and conflict in the region.
“They further agreed to intensify their efforts in curbing the illicit flow of small arms and light weapons while pledging to collaborate on initiatives to enhance border security and support regional and international efforts to control and reduce the spread of these weapons.
“Consequently, both parties reaffirmed their commitment to resuming and strengthening collaboration to ensure regional stability and security, reaffirmed that Nigeria is universally known for adherence to its principle of good neighbourliness and would not be used to destabilise Niger or any of Nigeria’s contiguous countries, Niger affirmed its readiness to resume active participation in security cooperation under the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJT),” he added.
He disclosed that the Chief of Staff of the Nigerien Armed Forces also “accepted the invitation from the CDS to visit Nigeria, where they will finalise the modalities of the cooperation agreed upon while agreeing on the creation of a Nigerien advisory group to interface with its Nigerian counterpart, with the view to addressing the various issues of mutual concern as well as sustain lines of communications between both countries. It was also agreed that the Advisory Groups should have a joint mandate of developing measures towards strengthening bilateral relationships.”