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Join on Telegram Rabat – The city of Marrakech is hosting today a high-level meeting of experts and security agencies from North Africa and Sahel countries to discuss counterterrorism mechanisms.
The Moroccan news agency MAP reported that the UN Counterterrorism Office is organizing the event under the theme, “Capacity Building and Training for the West African States.”
The two-day event will see the participation of 23 countries to discuss and exchange views on their assessment of the terrorist threat in the Sahel region and its extension to the Gulf of Guinea.
As it takes place amid concerns about the alarming situation in the Sahel, the counterterrorism symposium will also work to discuss the most effective multilateral strategies to combat terrorism. Over the past decade, the Sahel has emerged as a breeding ground for global terrorism.
Morocco has long expressed concerns regarding the situation in the region. In April, Head of Morocco’s Central Bureau of Judicial Investigations (BCIJ) Habboub Cherkaoui reiterated the North African country’s apprehension, calling on the international community to adopt a “shared responsibility mechanism to tackle insecurity in the Sahel.”
Cherkaoui pointed to ISIS’s presence in the region, arguing that the terror threat in the region is dangerous to both Africa and its nearby Arab and European countries.
“The focus that bothers and worries Morocco the most, currently, is the Sahel area, which has become a safe and fertile refuge for terrorist networks,” the BCIJ chief said.
He said that the region has also hosted other organized crime networks active in “human trafficking, irregular migration, as well as armed and drugs trafficking.”
In addition to today’s UN-sponsored event, Marrakech hosted a high-level ministerial meeting of the Coalition Against ISIS in May.
During the event, Morocco’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Nasser Bourita echoed Cherkaoui’s remarks and concerns regarding the situation in Shael and called for a joint action to combat the security threats.
The Moroccan FM said that the Sahel is “home to the world’s fastest-growing and most-deadly terrorist groups,” emphasizing that the region accounted for 35% of global terrorism deaths in 2021.
Terrorism-caused deaths increased in the region by over 1,000% between 2007 and 2021, the Moroccan official said, adding that sub-Saharan Africa accounted for 48% of global terror deaths.
Morocco has committed to continuing its mobilization of forces against terrorism locally and internationally.
The 2022 Global Terrorism Index classified Morocco among the safest countries, with terrorism “having a very low impact.”
Morocco’s counterterrorism approach has been also featured in global reports, such as the Country Report by the US State Department, which frequently described Morocco’s response to terrorist threats as “comprehensive.”
