27 September 2024
Ministers of the GCTF Coordinating Committee, and partners, convened for the 14th Ministerial Plenary Meeting co-chaired by Egyptian Foreign Minister Dr. Badr Abdelatty and the EU HE/VP Josep Borrell. Special Guest H.E. Amb. Bankole Adeoye, African Union Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace, and Security, addressed the Plenary to offer an in-depth picture of the evolving terrorist threat on the continent.
Terrorist groups active in Africa continue to deploy varied strategies to entrench and enhance their influence. They exploit conflict, poverty, inequality, the climate crisis, circulation of arms, ungoverned online spaces, and challenges of governance for the purpose of recruitment. There is a clear link between terrorism and organized crime networks. Therefore, sources of financing of terrorist groups include ransoms, trafficking of humans and organs, drugs, weapons, bank attacks, cattle rustling, embezzlement, illegal mining, in addition to taxes imposed on populations living in terrorism affected areas and charity. They rapidly adopt new forms of ammunition including improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and “ghost weapons” assembled with parts of different illicitly obtained firearms which are untraceable for investigation and prosecution purposes.
The GCTF’s continued support for counterterrorism in Africa is therefore more vital now than ever. The Forum’s East and West Africa Working Groups will continue to work closely with partners in the region including security and justice officials, international and regional organizations, and civil society to tackle each sub-region’s most pressing terrorism threats through capacity-building activities.
Preventing and countering violent extremism conducive to terrorism (P/CVE) is also necessary to complement security responses and achieve Whole-of-Government and Whole-of-Society approaches. The GCTF-Inspired Institutions – GCERF, Hedayah, and the IIJ – are the Forum’s main implementing arm. Their work on building criminal justice capacities, building community resilience, and supporting the development of national counterterrorism strategies and plans is therefore integral to the GCTF’s support for counterterrorism efforts in Africa, aimed at establishing locally owned, sustainable solutions to (re)establishing peace and security in the continent.
Read the Press Release.