President John Mahama has called for a united effort to deal with terrorism and religious extremism in the West Africa sub-region.

The President said religious extremism and terrorism have become threats to society and must be dealt with head on.

Addressing Catholic Bishops from West Africa at the end of the 2^nd Plenary Assembly of the regional Episcopal Conference in Accra, the President said countries in the sub-region must stand in solidarity with each other against terror threats.

“Boko Haram in north eastern Nigeria, Chad, Niger, and Cameroon is wreaking havoc on the lives of the people. Al-Qaeda in the Maghreb recently attacked the Raddison Blu Hotel in Mali and took several innocent lives and just recently it struck in Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso. This makes terrorism a real and substantial threat to our countries in West Africa,” the President said.

He urged leaders in the sub-region to overcome linguistic and colonial divisions and stand in solidarity to fight terrorism.

“We must stand in solidarity with all people all over the world who are being persecuted for their religious beliefs,” he said.

President John Mahama also used the occasion to pledge peace before, during and after this year’s general elections in November.