Morocco hosts African counterterrorism training sessions

The UNOCT’s Program Office for Counter-Terrorism & Training in Africa, based in Rabat, launched, on May 23, training courses on the fight against terrorism, in collaboration with the Australian government.

This first training session, supervised by international experts, aims to improve participants’ skills in terms of investigations and the fight against terrorism.

Twenty-four participants representing law enforcement agencies from six African countries (Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Nigeria and Senegal) are taking part for three weeks (from May 23 to June 10) in the training.

Addressing the attendees remotely, Deputy Director of UNOCT Mauro Miedico stressed the importance of this training program, first of its kind in Africa, organized by the Rabat-based UNOCT program office for CT & training to improve the skills and capacities of African law enforcement agents.

These CT training sessions confirm Morocco’s commitment to the fight against terrorism and its contribution to the maintenance of international peace and security, he said.

For his part, Head of UNOCT Program Office in Africa, Carlos Monteiro Reis, hailed the Rabat CT program, saying that several countries will benefit from it to strengthen their skills in the fight against terrorism.

Serving as a regional counter-terrorism training hub, the Rabat-based UNOCT Program Office was officially inaugurated on June 23, 2021.

The Office is tasked with developing and implementing key counter-terrorism training programs and initiatives to support requesting Member States and their Security sector and Law Enforcement agencies, with a particular focus on the Sahel and West Africa region.
The Office has developed a range of complete multi-level training programs (from initial to advanced), including curricula, experts’ trainings, trainings evaluation and certification. They include a plethora of Counter-Terrorism related subjects, tailored to meet the needs of the beneficiary countries.