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  1. UNOCT supports the Sahel countries in countering terrorist use of improvised explosive devices, unmanned aircraft systems and small arms and light weapons

UNOCT supports the Sahel countries in countering terrorist use of improvised explosive devices, unmanned aircraft systems and small arms and light weapons

The United Nations Counter-Terrorism Centre (UNCCT) of the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT), held a three-day regional workshop for the Sahel in Rabat, Morocco from 27 to 29 February 2024. Organized within the framework of the project on “Building capacity to eliminate the supply of weapons to terrorists in Africa”, the workshop aimed to support countries in the Sahel region to better assess and counter the threat posed by terrorist use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs), unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and small arms and light weapons (SALW). 

The workshop brought together 40 senior officials from Burkina Faso, the Central African Republic, Chad, Morocco, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal as well as representatives of 12 international and regional organizations responsible for counter-terrorism, law enforcement, arms control, and intelligence. 

Under-Secretary-General Vladimir Voronkov and Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the Kingdom of Morocco H.E. Mr. Vladimir Baibakov delivered opening remarks. 

The workshop provided a platform to discuss the international, regional and national legal framework, norms, standards and good practices, upstream and downstream measures, related to the prevention of the acquisition and use of IEDs, UAS and SALW by terrorists, relying on existing operational manuals including the Technical Guidelines for Member States to facilitate the implementation of Security Council resolution 2370 (2017)PDF, which was launched in March 2022 by the UNCCT/ UNOCT, the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) and the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR).

 

In line with its coordination mandate and the call of resolution 2370 (2017) to provide capacity-building and raise awareness in the field of eliminating the supply of weapons to terrorists, UNOCT facilitated, through this workshop, a dialogue platform between the aforementioned Member States and 12 international and regional organizations.

These included, international organizations such as CTED, the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL), the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), UNIDIR, the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS), the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA), the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Africa (UNREC), the United Nations Department of Peace Operations, the World Customs Organization (WCO) as well as regional organizations such as the Anti-Terrorism Centre of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS ATC) and the Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS), as well as the African Center for the Study and Research on Terrorism (CAERT).

The workshop was organized with the financial support of the Russian Federation.