On 8 December 2021, at the invitation of the Government of Egypt, Assistant Secretary-General Michèle Coninsx, Executive Director of the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED), attended a virtual workshop entitled “Defeating Terrorism in an Era of Cascading Risks:
perspectives from Africa”, organized by the Cairo International Center for Conflict Resolution, Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding as part of the preparatory process for the Third Edition of the Aswan Forum for Sustainable Peace and Development.
The workshop brought together government officials, representatives of regional and international organizations, experts, professionals, researchers, and representatives of civil society organizations to consider the international legal counter-terrorism framework established by Security Council resolution 1373 (2001), adopted in the wake of the terrorist attacks carried out in the United States on 11 September 2001.
Participants discussed the challenges and trends that had emerged over the subsequent two decades, with a particular focus on the African continent and with reference to issues such as organized crime, climate change, forced displacement, and the COVID-19 pandemic.
In sharing her observations and analysis of the terrorist threat in Africa, Ms. Coninsx expressed concern at the consequences of the pandemic, which included increasingly polarized societies, a global economic downturn, and further governance challenges. The terrorist threat was constantly evolving and was increasingly diverse, globalized, and rooted in local contexts, especially in Africa. The COVID-19 pandemic and climate change had impacted States’ capacity to provide effective responses to the threat.
Assistant-Secretary General Coninsx also expressed concern at joint operations of Al-Qaida and ISIL affiliates in some African regions.
“The greatest threat comes from ISIL affiliates that exploit the deteriorating humanitarian situation in many areas of the continent, such as North Africa; the Sahel; the Lake Chad Basin; and eastern and southern Africa, including Mozambique, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Uganda”, she said.
“For the terrorist threat to be countered, human rights should always be respected, and terrorists should be brought to justice in the short term, whereas conditions that can be favourable to terrorism should be addressed in the medium and long term”, she added.