Africa Focus Group Warns against Impact of Separatist Groups Proliferation on Counter-Daesh Efforts

The co-chairs and members of the Africa Focus Group “noted with concern the impact the proliferation of non-State actors is having on efforts to counter Daesh/ISIS in Africa,” said a statement issued following the two-day meeting held in Niamey (March 1-2), adding that this includes separatist movements.

These separatist groups create destabilization and increased vulnerability within certain African states favoring Daesh and other terrorist and violent extremist organizations, the same source added.

In this sense, the Africa Focus Group emphasized the need to address ISIS evolving threat especially in Africa, by strengthening the counter-terrorism capabilities of African members and take into account the challenges and threats posed by the proliferation of non-state actors, including separatist groups, as a destabilizing factor in the region.

It also stressed the importance of building the capacity of the Coalition’s partner countries and supporting sub-regional and regional initiatives on the African continent.

In this regard, the Group adopted its action plan to support African states in combating threats from terrorist groups and aimed at strengthening border security, collecting biometric data of suspected terrorists, addressing Daesh propaganda and recruitment, and combating terrorist financing, the statement said.

The meeting in Niamey allowed the Coalition’s 38 members and observers to highlight the various initiatives taken against Daesh, as well as to identify gaps in counter-terrorism capabilities in the states of West Africa, the Sahel, East Africa and Central and Southern Africa, the same source said.

This meeting follows the Group’s first plenary meeting on the African continent hosted by Marrakech last May, on the sidelines of the ministerial meeting of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS.

A large Moroccan delegation led by the Director of Global Issues at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates, Ismail Chekkori, took part in this meeting which follows the Group’s first plenary meeting on the African continent hosted by Marrakech last May, on the sidelines of the ministerial meeting of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS.

Morocco’s participation in the plenary meeting of the Africa Focus Group was an opportunity to reiterate the Kingdom’s support and commitment to the security and stability of Africa in general, and the Sahel in particular, given the common history, strong human ties and shared interests between this region and Morocco.

Morocco’s co-chairmanship of this meeting confirms its leading role in the fight against terrorism, as a provider of peace and stability in Africa, under the enlightened leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI. It is also a recognition of the Kingdom’s pioneering advocacy within the Coalition to adequately address the evolving terrorist threat in Africa.

It also clearly reflects the principles of the Kingdom’s policy, under the enlightened leadership of HM King Mohammed VI, which considers the security and stability of the African continent to be a collective priority.

It should be recalled that Morocco is currently co-chairing the Global Counter-Terrorism Forum (GCTF) with the European Union.