Rwanda is set to hand over chairmanship of the Committee of Intelligence and Security Services of Africa (CISSA) this week as regional security and intelligence officers convene for the 14th ordinary CISSA session in Khartoum, Sudan.

The two-day meeting runs until Friday and convenes about 650 participants.

Participants include Africa’s National Directors of Intelligence and Security agencies and experts.

Rwanda has chaired CISSA since August 2016 and will handover to Sudan.

The Executive Secretary of CISSA, Shimeles Semayat, told The New Times that the Khartoum meeting will reinforce the Kigali deliberations on easing movement of people across Africa as well as devising possible ways through which the continent can collectively work together to combat terrorism among other security threats.

The conference will be held under the theme,  "Comprehensive strategic Partnership in Combating Terrorism and to realise Political Stability in Africa.”

Rwanda is represented by Brig Gen Joseph Nzabamwita, the secretary-general of the National Intelligence and Security Services, who is also the current Chairperson of CISSA.

Semayat said Africa is faced with many security threats among which terrorism "stands out,” hence the need for collective collaboration to combat it.

"Terrorism is a priority and we need to partner as Africa in combating it because it has become a global threat. Terrorism can only be challenged when there is an international comprehensive partnership bringing in all stakeholders at all levels,” he told The New Times.

The conference was preceded by the meetings of technocrats. The First Intellectual Forum is on today at the High Academy for Strategic and Security Studies.

The 14th CISSA Conference is expected to come out with important decisions and to adopt short-term and long-term strategies that would guide the activities of the CISSA.

CISSA operates under the auspices of the African Union and the Security Architecture.

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