Rabat – Morocco reiterated on Friday its deep concerns about the dangerous connections between terrorists, criminal organizations, separatist movements, and various groups associated with transnational organized crime in Africa.
Mohamed Arrouchi, the Permanent Representative of Morocco to the AU and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), stressed the urgent need for coordinated action to combat this multifaceted threat during the examination of the AU Commission’s report on terrorism.
“What is occurring on our continent is a phenomenon rarely witnessed elsewhere: the collaboration between terrorist groups, non-state armed factions, separatists, criminal syndicates, and kidnappers for ransom, transcending ideological boundaries,” Arrouchi warned. “This cooperation is compounded by illicit financial flows and the proliferation of small arms and light weapons, making them increasingly dangerous.”
Arrouchi emphasized that the terrorist menace in Africa had taken root and was a cause for alarm, resulting in an estimated economic loss of a staggering $171 billion over the past decade.
The Moroccan diplomat urged a comprehensive strategy from the PSC. “We need to accurately diagnose this threat to develop appropriate responses,” he said. “The PSC’s strategy must extend beyond addressing entities like Daesh and Al Qaeda and also account for their associations with criminal organizations, separatists, bandits, organized gangs, and various groups involved in organized crime.”
In May this year, Morocco’s Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita denounced the financing, arming, and support of separatist groups in his opening speech at the Ministerial Meeting of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS in Marrakech, describing such acts as critical factors in spreading terrorism and instability across the world.
Describing such acts as critical factors in spreading terrorism and instability across the world, Bourita explained how Africa has become a target for ISIS-affiliated terrorist groups in search of a new base.
To address the situation, Morocco has recommended to the AU Peace and Security Council’s urgent evaluation of the potential long-term consequences of this dangerous alliance between terrorists and various illicit groups, including criminal organizations, separatists, and those involved in transnational organized crime.
