Assembly/AU/Dec.584(XXV) Page 1 DECISION ON THE REPORT OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE COMMISSION ON TERRORISM AND VIOLENT EXTREMISM IN AFRICA Doc. Assembly/AU/7(XXV) The Assembly, 1. TAKES NOTE of the report of the Chairperson of the Commission on the threat of terrorism and violent extremism in Africa and on the implementation of the communiqué PSC/AHG/ COMM. (CDLV) adopted by the 455th meeting of the Peace and Security Council held in Nairobi on 2 September 2014; 2. REITERATES its deep concern at the worsening scourge of terrorism and violent extremism in Africa, as evidenced by the growing presence of the Islamic state in Africa to which some groups have pledged allegiance, as well as the continuing ignoble attacks by different terrorist groups, including alShabaab in Somalia and Kenya, The Lord‟s Resistance Army (LRA) in Central Africa, Boko Haram in Nigeria and in other countries of the Lake Chad Basin; al-Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa (MUJAO), al-Murabitoun in northern Mali and the Sahel in general, the Ansar Al-Sharia and other terrorist groups in North Africa; 3. STRESSES once again that terrorism cannot be justified in any circumstance and that it cannot and should not be associated with any religion, nationality, civilization or particular group. The Assembly strongly condemns all terrorist acts perpetrated on the continent, irrespective of the perpetrators, place and motivations. The Assembly expresses AU's full solidarity with the affected countries and victims of terrorism; 4. NOTES WITH CONCERN the growing links between terrorism and violent extremism on the one hand, and transnational organized crime, on the other; 5. REITERATES the relevance of the instruments adopted by the OAU/AU in recent years to fight against the scourge of terrorism and violent extremism, particularly the 1999 Convention on the Prevention and Combating of terrorism and its 2004 additional Protocol; 6. WELCOMES the efforts of Member States, through the strengthening of their legislative frameworks and operational capabilities and hails the establishment of security cooperation mechanisms at the regional level, including the Fusion and Liaison Unit (UFL ) of the Sahel, the Nouakchott Process on enhanced security cooperation and operationalization of the African Peace and Security Architecture in the Sahel-Saharan region and the Regional Cooperation Initiative for the Elimination of the Lord‟s Resistance Army (ICR-LRA); 7. ALSO COMMENDS the efforts undertaken by the Commission, including through the African Centre for Study and Research on Terrorism (ACSRT) and those of the Special Representative of the Chairperson of the Commission in charge of counter terrorism cooperation in support of the measures taken by Member States to combat terrorism;