Morocco Urges Global Coalition to Boost African States’ Capacity Against ISIS Threat

Faced with its loss of control over its strongholds in the Middle East, Daesh is considering falling back on Africa. Thus, "the response to the emerging threats of Daesh must make the support of African states and sub-regional organizations in terms of capacity building a priority, with the aim of ensuring more sustainable results" in the fight against Daesh, Bourita said, reaffirming Morocco’s commitment to capacity building efforts in Africa and emphasizing the establishment of an office of the UN Counter-Terrorism Office (UNOCT) Program for Africa in Rabat.

Bourita also called for the coordination of international efforts to better manage the situation, which is becoming more and more widespread in the Sahel. In this sense, it is time to put into practice the conclusions of the first meeting of the Coalition held in November 2020, related to the dangers of Daesh in West Africa, through "concrete support" to the countries of the region in the collection and protection of evidence obtained on the battlefields, he added. In 2020, the Sahel region recorded a total of 4,250 deaths, an increase of 60% compared to 2019, the minister said, stressing that 59% of the victims were civilians. Thus, Bourita warns against the strengthening of Daesh in Africa, which is increasingly allied with other terrorist groups and criminal networks.

Taking advantage of this virtual meeting of the Coalition composed of the United States, Gulf countries, Turkey and Egypt and others, Bourita recalled that the current health crisis that is worrying the world "must not distract us from the serious threat that Daesh continues to pose to international peace and security".