S/PV.8743Resumption1 Security Council

The President (spoke in Chinese): I now give the floor to the representative of Japan.

Mr. Ishikane (Japan): Allow me to express my deep appreciation to you, Mr. President, for organizing such an important debate and for giving us the opportunity to express our thoughts on this particular topic. It is four years to the month since the Council learned of, and condemned, the deadly terrorist attack in Grand-Bassam, Côte d’Ivoire, on 13 March 2016 (see SC/12279). Unfortunately, Council discussions on terrorism and violent extremism in Africa have become only more frequent since then. We must of course respond to immediate security threats and urgent humanitarian needs, and we greatly commend the efforts of Member States and United Nations bodies in that regard. However, we must also maintain a broader focus if developments for the better are to have permanence. What is more, the environment is rapidly changing, especially in the Sahel, and the linear model to peace and stability cannot keep pace. Today, I would therefore like to focus on the vicious cycle that breeds terrorism and violent extremism in Africa and suggest three ways in which we could perhaps break the cycle. The first way is by empowering local communities. Terrorists and violent extremists thrive in peripheral areas. They use the discontent of marginalized groups and claim the mantle of protecting the vulnerable. Local grievances frequently give terrorists a base of support. To mitigate such concerns, including a lack of security, justice, governance and social services, we need a durable support system, that is, the community. We believe that a human-centred approach by and for each individual is a significant element in building resilience and achieving peace and stability in Africa. But that does not happen automatically. Inclusive development remains essential, even as we tackle immediate security and humanitarian concerns. The second way is by strengthening institutional capacity in order to reach local communities. That is a long-term plan. Strong, trusted institutions, coupled with economic development, will prevent the resurgence of militancy tomorrow after today’s threats are defeated. Local communities can be a protection against violent extremism but only if good security- sector governance is firmly in place. For that reason, Japan has put African-led capacity- building at the core of its engagement, particularly in the security and justice sectors. Since 2008, we have collaborated with 14 African peacekeeping operation training centres across the continent to strengthen regional multidimensional capabilities in African Union (AU)-United Nations peacekeeping. This year, we are supporting African peacekeeping operation training centres in nine African countries, including Mali. We have also been supporting training programmes on criminal justice in French-speaking African countries so as to build the capacity of police, public prosecutors and judges through South-South cooperation. We will continue to work with African countries and our international partners within the framework of the New Approach for Peace and Stability in Africa initiative, presented at the seventh Tokyo International Conference on African Development last August. The third, and last, way is through regional cooperation. While today I have emphasized local communities, the threat of terrorism itself is cross- border and transnational in nature. United Nations cooperation with regional and subregional organizations is an essential part of implementing the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy. Japan commends the increased cooperation that we have seen in recent years between the Security Council and the AU and its subregional organizations, and we will continue to cooperate with those collective efforts.

The President (spoke in Chinese): I now give the floor to the representative of Algeria.

Mr. Mimouni (Algeria): At the outset, I would like to congratulate China on its assumption of the presidency of the Security Council for this month and underscore the relevance of this timely debate. I also wish to thank the Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, the Assistant Secretary- General and Director of the United Nations Development Programme Bureau for Policy and Programme Support, and the Permanent Observer of the African Union (AU), Ambassador Fatima Kyari Mohammed, for their very informative briefings this morning. Terrorism remains a serious global threat to which no country is immune. While showing a great capacity for mobility, adaptation and innovation, the scourge continues to raise serious concerns, spreading terror and destabilizing many regions of the world. Africa has not been spared, as the continent has become the target of unprecedented terrorist attacks. Despite territorial setbacks endured recently, terrorist groups, particularly in West Africa and the Sahel, continue to display unprecedented levels of violence, while enhancing their recruitment and financing strategies. Addressing that scourge therefore requires our full and sustained attention. As stated in presidential statement S/PRST/2020/5, the importance of a holistic approach to address the threat of terrorism and violent extremism cannot be overemphasized. That should include the promotion of transparency and good governance and addressing the root causes, including the prevention of conflicts, strengthening State institutions and tackling poverty, inequality and radicalization. Ensuring the effective implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the involvement of local communities are also essential in that regard. Algeria has succeeded in defeating terrorism, as clearly reflected in the Global Terrorism Index 2019. Having faced the devastating effects of terrorism in the 1990s, my country is today at the forefront of the fight against that scourge and maintains a high level of vigilance and commitment in that regard. The focus is mainly placed on the implementation of policies, strategies and development programmes geared towards the fight against factors of exclusion, marginalization and social injustice, often exploited by terrorist propaganda for mobilization and recruitment purposes, as well as towards the promotion of democracy, human rights and fundamental freedoms. Securing our border line and pursuing the fight against residual terrorism is also part of our overall counter-terrorism strategy. At the regional level, Algeria has consistently advocated an approach geared towards targeted and efficient action based on national ownership and aimed at combating terrorism and cross-border criminality, while assuming responsibility for security and stability within our territory, in keeping with our international obligations. Algeria has also engaged in a concerted approach with the countries of the Sahel through various cooperation mechanisms, such as the Joint Operational General Staff Committee, the Fusion and Liaison Unit for the Sahel and many other forums. Such mechanisms contribute to enhancing security cooperation among the Sahel countries through the coordination and strengthening of border control measures, as well as through training and the sharing of intelligence and equipment. In its capacity as the African Union champion on the issue of combating terrorism and violent extremism in Africa, Algeria presents reports to the AU summits on a regular basis, outlining terrorist threats and trends on the African continent. The latest reports note that the various terrorist groups operating in certain parts of the continent remain active and continue to threaten peace, security, stability and social cohesion, particularly in the Sahel-Saharan region. Radicalization, particularly among young people, is also gaining ground, including among the economically disadvantaged segments of the population. Likewise, the relationship between terrorism and transnational organized crime has grown to alarming proportions. The growing number of foreign terrorist fighters, of either African or non-African origin, has been observed in various parts of the continent, particularly in areas affected by armed conflict. Those individuals, who have been trained ideologically and militarily, compound the threat that terrorism poses to Africa. Furthermore, Africa has presented to the AU a memorandum outlining seven pillars around which the organization could organise the fight against terrorism and violent extremism, which features, notably, the strengthening of the African framework for combating violent extremism and terrorism; addressing the issue of foreign terrorist fighters and their return to or movement on the African continent; tightening and drying up the many sources of terrorist financing; preventing and fighting radicalization; and, finally, promoting political, institutional and judicial frameworks that foster good governance, human rights, the rule of law, social justice and socioeconomic development. The African continent, through the African Union and its various institutions, as well as the countries directly affected, have shown resilience and determination in combating terrorism and addressing trafficking-related terrorist financing. Various continental collective security initiatives and arrangements have been established, such as the Nouakchott process and the Committee of Intelligence and Security Services of Africa. The African Police Cooperation Organization (AFRIPOL), as well as the African Centre for the Study and Research on Terrorism, both based in Algiers, also play an important role in strengthening the capacities of Africa in the fight against terrorism and organized transnational crime. In that regard, it should be pointed out that Algeria hosted the first general assembly of AFRIPOL, donated the communication and data system for AFRIPOL to all member States and piloted memoranda of understanding with all our police organizations, such as INTERPOL and EUROPOL. Finally, as part of its global efforts in countering terrorism and violent extremism, Algeria also works closely with other actors, particularly in global counter- terrorism forums. In the context of its co-chairmanship with Germany of the Capacity-Building in the West Africa Region Working Group, the third plenary meeting of the Working Group was held in Lomé on 3 and 4 February, with a particular focus on developing implementation, cooperation and capacity-building efforts on counter-terrorism in the West Africa region, in line with the Working Group’s work plan for 2019-2021. Let me conclude by reaffirming Algeria’s strong commitment to global efforts to counter terrorism and violent extremism at all levels and its readiness to contribute to the collective endeavour to curb the threat posed by terrorism and its narrative.

The President (spoke in Chinese): I now give the floor to the representative of Kenya.

Mr. Amayo (Kenya): May I begin by warmly congratulating you, Sir, on China’s accession to the presidency of the Security Council for the month of March and for organizing this important event. I would also like to express my delegation’s appreciation for the focus on peace and security in Africa, particularly on countering terrorism and extremism. Terrorism and violent extremism remain persistent challenges in the Sahel, the Lake Chad basin and the Horn of Africa. In that regard, we recognize and remember the victims and all those who have lost their lives at the hands of terrorists and extremists. Kenya strongly condemns the recent assassination attempt against Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok of the Sudan, and we express our solidarity with the people and the Government of the Sudan. I join other speakers in thanking, and welcoming the remarks made this morning by, Ms. DiCarlo, Under- Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs; and Assistant Secretary-General and Special Adviser Abdoulaye Dieye. Kenya also aligns itself with the statement delivered by Ambassador Fatima Kyari Mohammed, Permanent Observer of the African Union to the United Nations. As has the rest of the world, Kenya and Africa have suffered greatly from global terrorism. Terrorist groups including Al-Qaida and its affiliates as well as splinter groups such as Al-Shabaab and Boko Haram have an active and growing presence in Africa. Terror groups are also increasingly mutating, evolving and adapting to their immediate environments and, alarmingly, in some cases taking on the veneer of operating as quasi-Governments with sophisticated public-relations arms and providing public goods and services akin to those provided by the State for the terrorists’ financial benefit. Terrorist and extremist groups exploit investment, trade and humanitarian spaces to sustain their work. This has resulted in reverse development, increased human displacement and political and socioeconomic instability at the national and regional levels. It is against that background that Kenya continues to be a front-line State in the fight against terrorism and violent extremism and remains steadfast in building partnerships for a strategic and operational approach to prevent and combat terrorism and violent extremism. As stated this morning by Ms. DiCarlo and the Permanent Representative of Tunisia on behalf of the three African members of the Security Council plus Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, on 10 and 11 July 2019 Kenya hosted, along with the African Union and the United Nations, the African Regional High-level Conference on Counter-Terrorism and the Prevention of Violent Extremism Conducive to Terrorism, held in Nairobi. The Conference was co-chaired by President Kenyatta of Kenya; Mr. Moussa Faki Mahamat, Chairperson of the African Union Commission; and the United Nations Secretary-General, His Excellency António Guterres. More than 1,400 participants, including 42 African countries, 60 non-African countries, eight international and regional organizations, and 55 civil-society organizations attended the meeting. The conference provided a platform for sharing good practices and innovations in tackling terrorism and violent extremism. The focus was on African-led and African-owned efforts, working hand in hand with the international community. Some of the proposals and key deliverables that emerged from the Nairobi July conference that need urgent attention, with concurrent investments in human, institutional, legal and financial resources at the national, regional and global levels include, first, the strengthening of the African regional and subregional counterterrorism cooperation as well as African Union initiatives, including “Silencing the Guns” and Agenda 2063, within the scope of the African Peace and Security Architecture, to be more responsive to the terrorism challenges facing the continent; secondly, the convening of annual counter-terrorism dialogues between the United Nations and the African Union, incorporating regional bodies going forward; and, thirdly, the establishment of an inter-agency platform in Kenya to facilitate the coordination of regional counter- terrorism work. Kenya and the United Nations had also agreed to host a side-event to present the outcomes of the conference on the margins of the High-Level Conference of Heads of Counter-Terrorism Agencies of Member States, to be held in New York in June 2020, which is under review in view of the COVID-19 risk assessment being done. Allow me to also share some additional observations and recommendations based on our experience and lessons learned. First, it is critical to develop a bottom-up approach in prevention frameworks and to have an “all of Government” and “all of society” approach in order, for example, to ensure the empowerment of young people and women in preventing violent extremism and fostering social cohesion at the grass-roots level. Of equal importance is addressing fragility. Investment in resilient governance institutions geared towards the establishment of State authority in marginal and vulnerable territories is also a significant preventive measure. Consequently, multilateral humanitarian missions need to include strategies for stabilization and delivery of services that deny terrorists such territorial strongholds; cross-border initiatives to counter terrorism and violent extremism should also be prioritized. We see the example that Kenya and Ethiopia, in partnering with the United Nations Development Programme have set, and the results have been very commendable. Of equal importance is the development of strong disarmament, demobilization, reintegration and rehabilitation capabilities targeted towards returning terrorist fighters, as a crucial factor in the actual reduction of the threat. The Security Council should also ensure that all associations and affiliations with known terrorist groups are listed in order to better anticipate and counter the groups’ strategies and financing sources. Finally, Kenya supports the efforts of the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism to establish a global network of counter-terrorism centres. We have also forged strong regional law-enforcement and judicial cooperation partnerships within the East African Community, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development and the Great Lakes region. In that context, Kenya’s significant troop contribution to the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) in Somalia confirms our commitment to the elimination of international terrorism in our subregion. We therefore call on the international community to continue to support AMISOM’s efforts through adequate and predictable financing, given that the war against Al-Shabaab terrorism is yet to be concluded. It is imperative that the international community continue to support the Government of Somalia in strengthening the country’s national security sector and also in the maintenance of law and order.

The President (spoke in Chinese): I now give the floor to the representative of Nigeria.

Mr. Itegboje (Nigeria): Let me at the outset thank the delegation of China, which holds the presidency of the Security Council for the month of March, for having organized today’s debate on countering terrorism and extremism in Africa, and other briefers for enlightening us on this important topic. We align ourselves with the statement delivered by the Permanent Observer of the African Union to the United Nations. As we are all aware, terrorism and violent extremism have become disturbing features in Africa, and the continent has had to wrestle with different forms of terrorism and terrorist actors, including Al-Qaida, the Lord’s Resistance Army, Al-Shabaab, the Islamic State in Iraq and the Sham, the Islamic State West Africa Province, Boko Haram and so on. The activities of those groups have brought untold hardship, the dislocation of social and economic activities, humanitarian crises and stunted development to the continent. The enablers of terrorism are not difficult to identify; they include, among others, ideology, climate change, the use of the Internet, the exclusion of young people and women in governance, lack of development, the proliferation of small arms and light weapons, the prevalence of ungoverned territories in Africa, poor criminal-justice systems, absence of the rule of law and so on. The United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy is the global instrument, adopted in 2006 by Member States, to enhance national, regional and international efforts to counter terrorism. From the continental perspective, the counter-terrorism institutions of the African Union (AU) have continued to build the capacities of intelligence services, law enforcement agencies and other institutions to prevent and combat terrorism, in line with AU instruments and frameworks. Those institutions include the African Centre for the Study and Research on Terrorism, the Committee of Intelligence and Security Services of Africa and, most recently, the AU Mechanism for Police Cooperation. Those and other frameworks have established practical measures that substantially address Africa’s security challenges in the areas of police and border control, legislative and judicial measures, the financing of terrorism, the exchange of information, and the coordination and standardization of efforts aimed at enhancing the capacity of member states to prevent and combat terrorism and drawing links among terrorism, drug trafficking, transnational organized crime, money-laundering and the illicit proliferation of small arms and light weapons. At the subregional level, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) adopted its Counter- Terrorism Strategy and Implementation Plan in 2013. It is based on three pillars: preventing terrorism, pursuing terrorism and reconstructing communities in the aftermath of conflict. That integrated approach also elaborates a comprehensive set of measures to be undertaken by various agencies in member States and provides a strategic policy direction towards the containment and elimination of the threat posed by terrorism to the community. To that end, the Plan established within the community an ECOWAS Counter- Terrorism Coordination Unit; an ECOWAS Arrest Warrant and an ECOWAS Black List of Terrorist and Criminal Networks, which will facilitate coordination and information-sharing among member States, and a subregional counter-terrorism training centre. At the national level, Nigeria has adopted several mechanisms and instruments for enhancing security, including the National Counter-Terrorism Strategy, adopted in 2014; the National Policy Framework and National Action Plan for Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism, adopted in 2017; and the Multinational Joint Task Force, established in collaboration with our neighbours, Chad, Cameroon, the Niger and Benin, to defeat the Boko Haram insurgency. Despite their multitude, continental efforts have remained fragmented, military-oriented and incommensurate with the scale of the threat. It is here that we invite the Security Council to assist countries in need in that direction. Significant gaps persist at all levels. The continued political instability and absence of law and order in different regions of the continent have provided an ideal environment for terrorist groups to grow and operate. Generally, the criminal justice response to terrorism remains weak. There are persistent capacity constraints facing law enforcement agencies, including border control, and the courts to successfully investigate and prosecute terrorism cases, as well as rehabilitate and reform convicted perpetrators. The courts in many States are overwhelmed and unable to deal with the number of persons who have disengaged from terrorist groups in a timely and effective manner. Moreover, and despite the urgency, responses to the threat of returning foreign terrorist fighters remain ad hoc and poorly coordinated. That gap is further exacerbated by the fact that the criminal justice system as a whole does not possess the technical capabilities to prevent, investigate and prosecute cases of online terrorist recruitment or incitement to commit terrorist acts. Political and structural factors are also undermining the role of the intelligence community in countering terrorism, as well as the resulting absence of collaboration with the criminal justice system, both nationally and regionally. In the same vein, significant gaps exist in national and regional efforts to counter terrorist financing, particularly due to the poor functioning of financial intelligence units and other regulatory frameworks, as well as poor border-management capacities to prevent and interdict illicit trafficking. While critical gains have been made by ongoing military operations, efforts to consolidate and sustain the gains have lagged behind. Those include adequate humanitarian responses, early recovery initiatives and the restoration of law, order and economic activity. Simply restoring the social, political and economic structures to pre-conflict levels will not form a sustainable solution in the long term. Stabilization efforts must address the conditions that give rise to terrorism and violent extremism. Significantly, all those gaps require financing in the face of other development challenges bedevilling the continent, logistics assistance and capacity-building. Terrorism is a global phenomenon; the world must unite in ending the scourge. Member States with capacity should assist others without capacity. We recognize with utmost satisfaction the role being played by the Office of Counter-Terrorism and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in that regard. We urge the Security Council to continue its support to regional organizations such as the African Union, ECOWAS and even national Governments in a holistic and inclusive approach to combating terrorism. There should be concerted measures to tackle the debilitating effects of climate change and to encourage countries to toe the line of inclusive governance, which should be whole-of-society, including the mainstreaming of youth and women. We must combat the menace of illicit financial flows, which serve as a conduit for financing terrorism and other vices. We must redouble our efforts to reduce to the barest minimum the proliferation of small arms and light weapons. More important, all hands must be on deck to ensure that we meet the targets of the Sustainable Development Goals. It is our expectation that today’s debate will offer suggestions to address the prevailing challenges of terrorism and organized crime, which are increasingly joining forces to challenge States and threaten human security worldwide.

The President (spoke in Chinese): I now give the floor to the representative of Eritrea.

Ms. Tesfamariam (Eritrea): Let me congratulate you, Mr. President, on your country’s assumption of the presidency of the Council for the month of March. I thank China for organizing an open debate on the theme “Peace and security in Africa: countering terrorism and extremism in Africa”. I would also like to thank Under-Secretary- General Rosemary DiCarlo, Ambassador Fatima Kyari Mohammed and Assistant Secretary-General Abdoulaye Mar Dieye for their briefings earlier. I would like to convey Eritrea’s outrage and condemnation of the assassination attempt on Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok and reiterate its solidarity with the people and the Government of the Sudan. Eritrea’s robust stance and decades-old struggle against terrorism and extremism are matters of record. As a multi-ethnic and multi-religious country, and in the past two decades, despite the arduous challenges that our region has faced with extreme ideologies, Eritrea has remained a peaceful and harmonious nation, as it has done for centuries. The laws of the country contain explicit provisions that preserve a healthy and centuries-old social fabric of mutual tolerance and coexistence among the various faiths. Social peace has been a proven asset in combating violent extremism and that is a result of its secular policies. Eritrea’s culture of ethnic and religious tolerance and respect is an asset. Adherence to the principles of social justice in its development policies and an educational system that aims to inculcate the culture of civic service and the promotion of human dignity continue to play a vital role in curbing the scourge. As members will all agree, the scourge of terrorism and extremism has global dimensions and tentacles, is transnational in intent and scope, and continues to grow and proliferate, in spite of all concerted efforts to uproot and eradicate the scourge. For Africa, the post-Cold war era has been more predatory than the previous era and it has faced unprecedented attacks from fundamentalist groups of all flavours. Regional and international responses to the growing threats have been inadequate and incoherent. In any event, it is important to ponder and assess profoundly, at this juncture, the tools and methods that have been employed to date to combat that abomination. More importantly, we must diagnose and fully address the underlying causes that may have contributed to its incubation. Creating robust regional and global coordination mechanisms and establishing and consolidating suitable coalitions that encompass all stakeholder countries are critical steps. Broadly speaking, they are flexible elements of defence cooperation that can be created to combat specific threats, meaning that they will be limited in geographic and temporal terms. However, above and beyond those specific coalitions, the scope of continuous exchange of information, coordination and experiences must be enlarged in terms of participant countries and frequency of interactions. In the new congenial climate of regional cooperation, Eritrea is already pursuing those objectives with added vigour and urgency. Eritrea has held both bilateral and trilateral summits with its neighbours in the Horn of Africa. In January, during a trilateral meeting in the Eritrean capital of Asmara, the Presidents of Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia agreed on a comprehensive plan to combat and neutralize the common threats they face, including terrorism, arms and human trafficking and drug smuggling. As part of its overall commitment to promote peace and security and combat terrorism, Eritrea continues to take measures to improve its legislative and law enforcement capacities to prevent and prosecute acts of terrorism in all its manifestations. We have issued a proclamation on anti-money-laundering and combating the financing of terrorism and have established a financial intelligence unit to monitor and criminalize terrorism financing. Eritrea is also an observer member of the Eastern and Southern Africa Anti-Money- Laundering Group. At the operational level, all relevant enforcement bodies are collectively working with the highest vigilance to fight and suppress any threat of terrorism. Public awareness-raising programmes, including at schools, are regularly conducted by the relevant authorities. As a victim of terrorism since the early days of its independence, Eritrea condemns and actively combats terrorism in all its forms. Without conscious and vigilant public participation at all levels, terrorism and violent extremism would have sabotaged the survival and development of the nation. The active involvement of religious and societal leaders in the development and implementation of national policies is crucial. Finally, I would like to reiterate the following two points. First, the interlinkage between terrorism and other forms of organized crime, such as trafficking in persons and the smuggling of migrants, needs to be emphasized at policy and operational levels. Such crimes reinforce one other and must be addressed comprehensively. Today, cyberspace has become a battlefield for the hearts and minds of young people all over the world and a fertile ground for hatemongering. Online falsehoods have become an apparatus to sow discord and extremism and have led, in some States, to communal crises. Concrete measures with a determined focus on counter- narratives are needed in order to safeguard society. Secondly, it is important to create a narrative of hope and defy the prevailing narratives of despair and gloom that perpetuate extremist and terrorist ideologies. While international development has been discussed for decades, hundreds of millions of people continue to languish in poverty. We need to enhance our cooperation to achieve a common defence against terrorism and violent extremism and reverse the growing inequality between rich and poor nations.

The President (spoke in Chinese): I now give the floor to the representative of Angola.

Mr. Gimolieca (Angola): We wish to join our colleagues in congratulating China on its assumption of the presidency of the Security Council this month. We thank you, Sir, for convening this important debate, which offers us an opportunity to renew our collective commitment to the fight against terrorism and violent extremism. We also wish to thank Under-Secretary- General DiCarlo, Assistant Secretary-General Dieye and Ambassador Mohammed for their insightful briefings this morning (see S/PV.8743). The phenomenon of terrorism, which is spreading across the continent, including across previously unaffected areas such as our own region of Southern Africa, has received special attention from African leaders, who agree that combating the scourge must be a top priority for the African Union and subregional organizations on the continent. During the African Union Summit in February, our President, His Excellency Mr. João Lourenço, acknowledged the growing threat of violent extremism and its proliferation on the continent, placing special emphasis on the links between organized crime and terrorist activities. As a result, all the attending leaders decided that regular meetings should be held to address in depth the threat that terrorism poses to the continent. One of the main challenges we have identified is increasingly weakened border control and security, which enables trafficking in natural resources and other organized criminal activities. Transnational criminal and terrorist groups use the illicitly derived proceeds to finance their activities, which spread misery, death and terror throughout the continent, leaving Governments with the daunting task of managing their borders in ways that secure their territorial integrity and sovereignty while also ensuring that they are bridges rather than barriers in terms of cross-border cooperation and regional integration. Therefore, in order to combat the financing of terrorism, in November the Angolan Parliament adopted a law on preventing and combating money-laundering, the financing of terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, which makes both politically exposed persons and ordinary individuals subject to increased diligence. The law, which follows the recommendations of the International Monetary Fund and the Financial Action Task Force, is intended to prevent payments to financial entities domiciled offshore that have been found to have connections with criminal organizations. It prohibits the creation of shell banks, which are responsible for 70 per cent of the capital circulation of terrorist organizations, according to investigations by American and European criminal services. Given that international cooperation is a fundamental tool for countering the threat of terrorism, as emphasized in numerous Council resolutions, the Government of Angola is increasing its engagement in international, regional and subregional counter- terrorism cooperation. We are doing so in particular by promoting international best practices, standards and codes while improving the performance of Government institutions. Identifying regional and thematic challenges on this topic is a continuous process. Therefore, Angola, within the Southern African Development Community, is committed to working closely with the African Union to increase and strengthen capacity-building and facilitate technical assistance delivery in order to counter both the financing of terrorism and deprived socioeconomic conditions, which are conducive to crime and other illicit activities. To conclude, I would like to renew the commitment of the Republic of Angola to continue working with the United Nations in the implementation of relevant resolutions and the United Nations Global Counter- Terrorism Strategy in order to prevent and fight the threat posed by terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.

The President (spoke in Chinese): I now give the floor to the representative of Senegal.

Mr. Niang (Senegal) (spoke in French): At the outset, I would like to congratulate the People’s Republic of China on assuming the monthly presidency of the Security Council and organizing this public debate on the topic of “Peace and security in Africa: Countering terrorism and extremism in Africa”. I would also like to express my delegation’s appreciation for the enlightening briefings provided by Ms. Rosemary DiCarlo, Under- Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs; Her Excellency Ms. Fatima Kyari Mohammed, Permanent Observer of the African Union to the United Nations; and Mr. Abdoulaye Mar Dieye, Assistant Secretary-General and Special Adviser to the United Nations Development Programme Administrator. My country takes this opportunity to pay its deepest respects to the victims of terrorist attacks, pay tribute to all the countries that are still struggling against those scourges and reiterate its categorical condemnation of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, regardless of its motivations and perpetrators. Multidimensional efforts to date on the African continent, particularly in the west and the Sahel-Saharan strip, have not yet succeeded in curtailing the security threat posed by terrorism and violent extremism. In fact, recent years have seen a rapid and worrisome proliferation of that threat in that part of the continent, resulting in problems with grave consequences. By way of evidence, in 2019 more than 700 terrorist attacks committed by terrorist groups, criminal networks and community and tribal militias were recorded in the Sahel zone, notably in Mali, Burkina Faso and the Niger, not counting those observed in the Lake Chad basin. In 2019 alone, those attacks claimed 4,000 victims, compared to 770 in 2016. At the same time, the number of internally displaced persons has reached half a million, not including some 25,000 people who have become refugees. The situation is all the more troubling because terrorist attacks are gaining ground and now threaten coastal States, including Senegal. Moreover, trafficking of all kinds is fuelling terrorist networks, which also fosters illegal migration. In the context of subregional integration, the need for the free movement of persons and goods now therefore comes up against the need to control and secure land, air, river and sea borders. Against that urgent and complex backdrop and given the numerous obstacles to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, we must be increasingly mobilized and review our frameworks for action. The Economic Community of West African States was well aware of those challenges when it adopted its 2020-2024 action plan at the Summit it held on 21 December 2019 and pledged to mobilize $1 billion for its implementation. That initiative is to be encouraged and supported, as is the regional stabilization strategy led by the African Union and the Lake Chad Basin Commission, which is an approach that will allow us to establish early warning and early engagement parameters for all forms of local conflicts. We also welcome the efforts undertaken by the Group of Five for the Sahel and the joint declaration signed on 13 January 2020 in Pau, between France and some countries of the Sahel, defining a new road map with the creation of a coalition for the Sahel at its core. Those are certainly laudable efforts, but their implementation is beset by difficulties in mobilizing the necessary funding. Now is the time once again to invite States to uphold the commitments that they have made in the framework of those initiatives. Of course, no response to terrorism can be restricted to only financial and security elements. Promoting good governance, combating impunity and discrimination, resolving latent intercommunal conflicts and ensuring sustainable and inclusive development must be part and parcel of any solution aimed at emerging from the violence that is borne of terrorism. For its part, Senegal is developing an anti-terrorism strategy focused on prevention through the establishment of economic and social development programmes to tackle the structural and cyclical causes of terrorism. In drawing on its reputation as a country of peace and tolerance, Senegal is also running awareness-raising campaigns involving civil society, thought leaders, traditional and religious chiefs and young people, with a view to promoting an alternative to the hate-ridden propaganda emanating from terrorist groups. Moreover, Senegal remains proactive in seeking solutions to terrorism and violent extremism. It regularly participates in international meetings on the topic and periodically organizes high-level conferences on peace and security issues, the most illustrious of which is the Dakar International Forum on Peace and Security in Africa. Senegal furthermore collaborates with United Nations specialized agencies, such as the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, INTERPOL and the Office of Counter-Terrorism, and cooperates with bilateral partners in the area of technical assistance and the sharing of terrorist data and intelligence on financial flows and money-laundering. In conclusion, it is clear that, in a globalized world, no country alone can sustainably address terrorism and violent extremism. Hence, the imperative of adopting an integrated strategy that takes into account all aspects related to the fight against terrorism, including combating terrorism financing, in the spirit of resolution 2462 (2019). In that regard, the coordination of the various international, regional, subregional and bilateral efforts is equally crucial in defeating terrorism and violent extremism.

The President (spoke in Chinese): I now give the floor to the representative of Togo.

Mr. Kpayedo (Togo) (spoke in French): At the outset, Togo would like to thank China for taking the initiative to convene this debate on an issue that is of great concern not only to Africa but the entire world. It cannot be said often enough that the terrorist threat to peace and security in Africa, fuelled by the rise of violent extremism, is a profound evil, the consequences of which weigh heavily on the socioeconomic development and national cohesion in our States. I wish to particularly emphasize the growing seriousness of the terrorist threat to the countries of sub-Saharan Africa, especially West Africa, where not a single day goes by without terrorism claiming another victim. Need I remind the Council that, over the past four years, West Africa alone has sustained upwards of 2,200 attacks, resulting in 11,500 deaths, thousands wounded and millions displaced. Against that bleak backdrop, I commend the efforts of the Group of Five for the Sahel (G-5 Sahel) to counter that scourge and secure the various afflicted areas. The difficulties encountered by the force on the ground and the proliferation of terrorist groups in the region, despite its efforts, call for a broader approach to that fight. Such an approach cannot and must not be confined solely to the States that have long been enduring that scourge. Indeed, given that security emergency, my country welcomes the new momentum generated by the 15 States members of the Economic Community of West African States, which in September 2019 announced their intention to earmark $1 billion over four years to support G-5 Sahel efforts in the fight against terrorism and violent extremism in the region. Moreover, within the context of subregional cooperation to combat terrorism, we welcome the Accra initiative, via which five countries — Côte d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Benin, Ghana and Togo — signed an understanding in September 2017 on intelligence-sharing and capacity- building for their security services. Here, I also wish to welcome the commitment of the United Nations alongside the Member States. Through the Counter-Terrorism Committee, it supports States in their national initiatives to curb that scourge. In Togo, for example, following an assessment visit from 22 to 24 July 2019, the Counter-Terrorism Committee made recommendations concerning the national architecture, led by the Interministerial Committee for the Prevention and Combating of Violent Extremism, established on 15 May 2019. Thus, the work of the Committee and its local branches was assessed with a view to strengthening and operationalizing them. Measures have also been taken, including with the support of the National Financial Intelligence Unit, to combat the illicit transfer of funds in order to remove possible sources of financing for terrorist networks. Furthermore, my country firmly believes that, in order to effectively combat terrorism, measures aimed at the inclusion of all must be taken and encouraged. In that regard, Togo, through its anti-terrorist strategy, has been committed for many years now to preventing terrorist networks from recruiting combatants by directing its actions, as a matter of priority, towards the consolidation of the rule of law, the entrenchment of democracy, peace and civics education and the fight against hate speech. Those measures are clearly reflected in the national development plan, whose third area of action — the consolidation of social development and strengthening of inclusion mechanisms — is designed to build appropriate institutional and human capacities in order to meet development challenges and guarantee the enjoyment of all rights and freedoms with a view to strengthening social cohesion and ensuring that the fundamental principles of equity and inclusion are effectively taken into account. Moreover, my country firmly supports any action to maintain and consolidate peace and to combat terrorism in the world. Its commitment in that regard is irreversible. The terrorist threat to peace and security in Africa is serious and challenges the entire international community. Not only does it create a permanent state of psychosis among the population, but also and above all it undermines the enormous development efforts made by our countries, despite often scarce resources. The international community’s response must be not only global but also, necessarily, preventive and proactive. The meeting rose at 4 p.m.