Rabat Hosts Conference on Counter-Terrorism, Maritime Security Along Africa’s Atlantic…

This conference (January 9-10) brought together over 50 officials and experts in counter-terrorism from member countries of the Kingdom's Rabat Process initiative on African Atlantic States (PEAA), as well as officials from regional and international organizations to discuss how best to counter this scourge in the Atlantic African region.

Participants emphasized that terrorism, which is rampant and worrying in the Sahel region, which has become the global epicenter of this phenomenon, is having repercussions on the security situation in Atlantic African countries. Several global reports by the UN and other international bodies underline the shift of the terrorist threat from the Sahel to Atlantic coastal countries.

The Rabat Process on African Atlantic States (PEAA), which embodies the vision of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God assist Him, to turn the African Atlantic region into an area of peace, stability and shared prosperity, elected counter-terrorism and other security challenges such as transnational crime one of its main objectives.

Among the conference's themes are the opportunities offered by the emerging new technologies, notably unmanned aerial systems or drones, to counter terrorist threats.

The aim of the conference was to facilitate an exchange of experience and expertise between the PEAA countries and other regional and international players in the fight against terrorism, particularly with regard to the use of new emerging technologies.

These technologies, such as drones, offer considerable advantages in the fight against terrorism, but can also be a huge challenge if they are acquired and used by terrorist organizations.

The aim of the meeting was also to identify the capacity-building needs of PEAA member countries, particularly in the field of emerging technologies to counter terrorism and address its root causes.

Drawing on its experience and achievements in the fight against terrorism, whether at national, continental or international level, Morocco has always expressed its readiness to share its experience and act in concert with African and other partners for effective action against this scourge.

The Kingdom is also developing an industry of unmanned aerial systems for surveillance, reconnaissance and intelligence-gathering missions, which are key elements in the fight against terrorist action.

A pioneer on the African continent, this industry could not only serve national counter-terrorism objectives, but also support the efforts of African countries in this field.