24 September 2024
In West Africa, the activities of terrorist groups are intensifying and expanding from the Sahel states towards the coastal states. Today, West Africa is the world’s region with the highest growth rate of terrorist violence. Especially in border areas, where some of the region’s most vulnerable communities live, terrorist violence threatens the population and government, undermines social cohesion, and stalls local economies.
The West Africa Capacity-Building (WA) Working Group, co-chaired by Algeria and Germany, with the support of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), organized a side event on the margins of the GCTF’s 24th Coordination Committee. The side event gathered senior counterterrorism experts and policymakers from the West Africa region, government officials from GCTF Members and non-member countries, and relevant international and non-governmental organizations to discuss and confirm priority areas where capacity building is urgently needed to prevent and counter terrorism in West Africa.
During the side event participants shared their views on the state of the terrorism threat in the West Africa region and explored ways the convening power of the WAWG can be enhanced and used to address this terrorism threat. Discussions highlighted the new WAWG work plan priorities which focus on countering the financing of terrorism, countering improvised explosive devices, and strengthening border security and management. Moreover, it was discussed how other GCTF Members and partners can proactively support the working group’s activities, given the magnitude of the terrorism challenge in West Africa.