KAMPALA, March 19 (Xinhua) -- Intelligence and security officers from East Africa are meeting in Kampala to find means of ending armed struggles and terrorism.
The two-day meeting was on Monday opened by Major General Wilson Mbadi, deputy commander of the Uganda People's Defense Forces.
Speaking to journalists after the opening, Mbadi said the officials were trying to find a way of eliminating terrorist activities through sharing information, as well as finding links between established terrorists like Al-Shabaab and rebel groups operating from the region.
The meeting brought together intelligence bosses from Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Somalia, Mauritius, South Sudan, Sudan, Djibouti, Comoros and Madagascar.
Joseph Ocwet, Uganda's director general of External Security Organization, said they want to find out where the funding for terrorists and rebels in the region comes from.
He also said the region was facing new and emerging challenges such as cybercrime, money laundering and human trafficking, which highlighted the need to share intelligence information.