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Rabat – Morocco’s Foreign Affairs Minister Nasser Bourita has expressed concerns regarding the expansion of terror threats in Africa.
Bourita made the remarks during a press conference following the official opening of the UN Office of Counter-terrorism’s (UNOCT) office in Rabat.
Bourita said that the first six months in 2021 confirm the “alarming trend of increasingly dangerous development of the terrorist threat in Africa.”
He added that terror threats in the continent are more troubling than ever.
“No less than a decade ago, terrorism was considered an external threat to Africa. Nowadays, terrorism found a homeland in the continent,” he warned.
The UN has repeatedly called for international support against violent extremism, particularly in the Sahel.
Bourita warned that the Sahel-Saharan region is becoming the second most affected area in the world by terrorism.
“In fact, 2020 was the deadliest year in terms of terrorist violence in the Sahel with a death toll of 4,250, an increase of 60% compared to 2019,” he said.
In 2020, the UN Security Council issued a statement condemning terrorism in all forms and manifestations, urging for more support to countries in areas such as training and in developing action plans.
At least four terrorist groups are active in Africa, “with a dozen of affiliated groups,” Bourita said.
The terror groups are active in more than 25 countries across the continent.
“The continent is not only the new ground of returning foreign terrorist fighters, but it has also become a self-homeland for terrorists.”
Terror groups carried out 7,108 attacks that claimed the lives of 12,519 victims in 2020. The economic impact of terrorism in Africa over the past 10 years has amounted to $171 billion, including $13 billion for 2019 alone. The economic cost of terrorist violence has multiplied ninefold since 2007.
Morocco is among the countries in the continent that renewed its commitment to continue to work alongside the UN and other partners against the scourge of terrorism.
The Moroccan FM renewed the country’s commitment, expressing satisfaction with the opening of the UNOCT office in Rabat.
The office is part of the UN’s work and support to African countries in their efforts to fight terrorism and violent extremism.
Bourita also extended thanks and gratitude to UN high-ranking officials, including the Under-Secretary-General of UNOCT Vladimir Voronkov and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for their support to the project of establishing the office in Rabat.
The FM said that the establishment of the program office for Africa in Rabat is an “eloquent example of possible synergy between a Member State and the UN Secretariat to implement the UN global counter-terrorism strategy.”
According to Bourita, the opening of the office in Rabat also falls “naturally within Morocco’s vocation and engagement towards Africa.”
