The solution to violent extremism is deepening democracy – Ms Kitchen

Miss Kaitlin Kitchen, Ghana Country Coordinator, United States Strategy to Prevent Conflict and Promote Stability (SPCPS), has said violent extremism, as seen in the Sahel, gained grounds in the absence of state authorities and weak service delivery.She said the solution to violent extremism was more deepened democracy where democratic institutions must be strengthened to improve access to justice, government accountability and increased community security.She said, 'When democracy is fragile or fleeting, when justice is inaccessible and when economic and political exclusion prevails, violent extremism thrives.'Ms Kitchen was speaking at the opening of the Effective Communication for Defence and Security Sector Actors training course in Tamale.The five-day course is organised by the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) to equip security personnel with communication skills to promote peace in conflict-prone communities.It is a component of the 'Strengthening Community Resilience: Preventing Violent Extremism through Effective Communication' project, which is sponsored by the United States Embassy.Participants in the course were officers of the security services selected from the Northern, North East, Savannah, Upper East and Upper West Regions.Ms Kitchen decried the devastating effects of military coups on countries in the Sahel and called for the consolidation of Ghana's democracy through enhanced routine public service delivery.Source: Ghana News Agency