Lofa County Senator, Momo Tarnuekollie Cyrus, has called for stronger cross-border security cooperation to address the growing challenges confronting West Africa.
Cyrus chairs the Senate Committee on National Defense, Intelligence, Security and Veteran Affairs.
He made a presentation at the Gabriel L. Dennis Foreign Service Institute in Monrovia during the visit of 75 senior military officers, staff, and students from the Armed Forces Command and Staff College of Nigeria.
The Nigerians travelled alongside participants from Sierra Leone, and Ghana.
Sen. Cyrus presented on the titled: “Beyond Borders: Building a Shared Security Future for West Africa.”
He declared: “No country can sustainably defeat threats that transcend its borders without effective regional collaboration.”
Cyrus outlined five key priorities for strengthening regional security: intelligence sharing and early warning; integrated border management; maritime security cooperation in the Gulf of Guinea; legislative cooperation; accountability, and investment in youth empowerment, environmental security, and conflict prevention.
From Liberia’s experience with civil conflict and post-war recovery, Cyrus stressed the need to prevent conflict, which he said, is far better than managing its devastating consequences.
He also underscored the importance of strengthening ECOWAS, and existing regional security frameworks to translate commitments into practical results.
Cyrus further called for stronger collaboration among military institutions, law enforcement agencies, diplomats, legislators, and border communities.
