Terrorism and separatism in Africa: Morocco’s alert to the UN

The Permanent Representative of Morocco to the UN, Omar Hilale, presented, Tuesday before the Security Council, the axes of the Kingdom’s strategy in the fight against terrorism in Africa. In line with the vision of HM King Mohammed VI, this approach is based on four pillars: security and legal strengthening, human development, preservation of religious values ​​and international cooperation.

Hilale highlighted Morocco’s key role in promoting a middle-ground Islam through institutions such as the Mohammed VI Foundation for African Ulemas and the Mohammed VI Institute for the Training of Imams. Since its creation, this institute has trained more than 3,000 African clerics, thus contributing to the prevention of radicalization on the continent.

The diplomat also warned of the growing link between separatism, terrorism and cross-border crime, denouncing the collusion between certain separatist groups and extremist organizations such as Al-Qaeda and Daesh. He called on the international community to proactively mobilize to counter these threats which are destabilizing Africa.

Finally, Hilale underlined Morocco’s commitment through concrete initiatives such as the ONUCT Program Office in Rabat, which has trained more than 2,000 African agents since 2021. He reaffirmed the Kingdom’s desire to strengthen international cooperation in terms of security, in particular via the Marrakech Platform, the last edition of which was held in Fez in June 2024.

M.Ba.