MOROCCO. Morocco and the United Nations (UN) signed an agreement for the establishment of the Program Office for Counter-Terrorism and Training in Morocco on Tuesday.
Morocco’s capital city Rabat will host the regional hub of the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) in Africa. Moroccan Foreign Minister, Nasser Bourita and UN Counter-Terrorism chief Mr Vladimir Voronkov signed the agreements on Tuesday.
UN counter-terrorism agency to open an office in Morocco
Morocco is all set to lead the African region in the fight against terrorism.
During the video conference signing ceremony, Bourita said, “The office will help bolster the capacity of member states through the development of national training programs to counter-terrorism.”
According to the reports, terrorist acts have surged by about 31% since 2011 in Africa. Meanwhile, the number of deaths due to terrorism has seen a leap of 26% in just one year.
The Sahel region in Africa remains the worst-hit region in Africa. It is due to the presence of terrorist groups such as Jama’a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM).
The number of victims of the Boko Haram terrorist attacks has nearly doubled since July 2017.
During the conference, Bourita said, “These figures underscore that Africa needs more immediate action to stabilize the continent, consolidate its security, and enable it to focus on sustainable development.”
In the conference, Bourita also voiced Morroco’s strong determination to support UNOCT’s efforts, activities and regional cooperation programs. Along with that, he highlighted Morocco’s expertise in preventing and countering terrorism.
