Participants in the consultative meeting of experts on the draft counterterrorism strategic action plan highlighted on Tuesday in Algiers, at the conclusion of the proceedings, the need for a comprehensive, coherent continental plan to address this scourge.
The Acting Director of the African Union Centre for Counter-Terrorism (AUCTC), Idriss Mounir Lallali, said in his address that the quality of discussions during the two-day consultative meeting, which brought together experts and specialists from various regional groups and African institutions, “reflects not only the caliber of expertise gathered, but also demonstrates a shared understanding of the responsibility for Africa’s collective security going forward.” “The discussions were substantive, candid and future-oriented, which is exactly what this critical juncture in our continental counter-terrorism agenda called for,” he said.
The speaker noted that participants reaffirmed several key points during the meeting that are “clearly laid out in the summary of conclusions.” According to the acting director, the discussions revealed “broad consensus around the proposed comprehensive strategic counter-terrorism plan,” while emphasizing the importance of “adopting a balanced approach that encompasses prevention, building resilience, security, legal and judicial cooperation, combating terrorist financing and robust institutional governance.” The discussions also underscored the importance of clarifying “roles and responsibilities within the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA), including enhanced political oversight by the Peace and Security Council (PSC) and its sub-committee on counter-terrorism and countering violent extremism, as well as strengthening CAUCT’s coordination and monitoring functions.”
