Nairobi, Kenya (CNSNews.com) - Two African nations on the U.S. State Department's list of terror-sponsoring countries have signed a pact committing them to beef up anti-terror laws and prevent their territories from being used as a base for the planning of terrorist acts.

Sudan signed the Algiers Convention on the Prevention and Combating of Terrorism last week during a high-level African Union (AU) anti-terror meeting in the Algerian capital. Another country on the State Department's list, Libya, previously ratified the convention.

With Sudan's signature, along with the approval of Ghana and South Africa, the anti-terror convention came into force during the Sept. 11-14 meeting.

The Algiers Convention requires that signatories should amend national laws to expedite investigations and prosecutions of those involved in terrorism.

The treaty also requires nations to prepare a list of persons and organizations within their countries engaging in - or suspected to be engaging in - terrorism, and to forward the lists to the AU.

The AU's Peace and Security Council will then approve, publicize, and regularly review a list of persons, groups, and entities involved in terrorist acts. The African terror list is modeled on similar compilations put together by the United States and the European Union.

"The list shall be drawn up based on precise information or material on the relevant file from Member States and other sources, which indicate that a decision has been taken by a competent authority in respect of the persons, groups, and entities concerned," notes part of the convention.

The convention also provides for a follow-up mechanism to monitor its implementation. It calls for better exchange of information and for international cooperation in the pursuit of terror suspects.

Terrorist or statesman?

Dr. Gerrison Ikiara of the Institute of International Diplomacy at the University of Nairobi said Libya and Sudan might have ratified the treaty to avoid becoming targets of the United Sates and its allies in the fight against terror.

"Ratifying the treaty is a good diplomatic move for the two nations, although abiding by its requirements is a different thing," Ikiara said.

But Ikiara also raised the possibility that Libyan President Moammar Gaddafi might have signed the treaty to further his image as a pan-African statesman. Gaddafi has been heavily involved in continent-wide causes and pushed for the transformation of the old Organization of African Unity into the AU earlier this year.

Gaddafi is struggling to get his country back into the international community after years of isolation and sanctions following the 1988 Lockerbie bombing. A former Libyan security agent was convicted in the bombing and although Gaddafi has always denied responsibility for the attack, there are indications that compensation talks are underway between the Libyan leader and the families of the Lockerbie victims.

Resource center

Other African countries that have ratified the anti-terror convention include Algeria, Angola, Egypt, Eritrea, Kenya, Lesotho, Mali, Rwanda, Senegal, Tunisia, and Western Sahara.

Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Tanzania and Uganda are expected to sign the convention soon.

The Interim Chairperson of the AU Commission, Amara Essy, said the prevalence of poverty and injustice in parts of Africa makes the continent a fertile breeding ground for extremism, fanaticism and terrorist recruits.

In a statement read on his behalf by President Abdelaziz Bouteflika of Algeria, Essy suggested that the sharing of information and the strengthening of cooperation and links among the various departments responsible for security in the AU member states showed the continent's commitment to combating terrorism.

Africa is no stranger to the spectre of international terrorism, with recent attacks hitting several nations including Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, Kenya and Tanzania.

President Bouteflika proposed the creation of an African Resource Center for research and study of terrorism and informed the meeting that Algeria would be willing to host such a center.

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