Strengthening the capacity of 10 African countries (Sahel and North Africa regions) to counter the use of Internet for terrorism purposes
African Union, in particular through its African Centre for the Study & Research on Terrorism (ACSRT/CAERT)
INTERPOL, ITU, The Global Forum on Cyber Expertise GFCE, Cyberterrorism Group of the Spanish Guardia Civil, The Special Operations Group of the Italian Carabinieri
6 Sahel states, namely Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Niger and Senegal
Synopsis
Objectives
The project aims to assist the Sahel and North African countries in enhancing their capability to counter the use of the Internet for terrorism-related purposes through specialized technical assistance training.
Components
The project entails the organization of national specialized training workshops on the investigation and prosecution of offences related to the use of the Internet for terrorism-related purposes for Criminal Justice, law enforcement and intelligence officials from each of the 4 North African States, namely Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco and Libya and of the 6 Sahel states, namely, Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Niger and Senegal. Additionally, it entails the production of a report containing a set of recommendations for further actions in trained countries and cross-regional workshops.
Main achievements
Ten national training workshops on countering the use of the internet for terrorist purposes were conducted for criminal justice officials (judges, prosecutors, and law enforcement officers), personal data protection, and telecommunications in Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, and in Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, and Senegal. In addition, a study visit from a Moroccan delegation to Italy was completed. In total, there were 304 officials trained. Knowledge of the threats, regulatory and legal frameworks, investigations, and cooperation related to the use of the Internet for terrorism purposes by terrorist and violent extremist groups was enhanced. The needs and challenges were identified, and information was shared among countries in the two sub-regions on good practices/recommendations to address legislative and policy issues about the use of the Internet for terrorism purposes.
A report containing recommendations formulated by the relevant stakeholders on potential legislative and policy reforms to prevent and counter the use of the Internet for terrorism-related purposes was produced.
Impact
The project has enhanced the capacity of Member States’ criminal justice systems to successfully detect and investigate the use of the Internet to spread terrorist content. By bringing together representatives from two different regions (the Sahel and North Africa), which face similar threats, the project has strengthened the collective response to this common threat, facilitated dialogue, built trust, and created regional ownership to prevent and combat terrorism.
Pictures
Use of Internet workshop in Tunisia, February 2020
National Workshop on Countering the Use of the Internet for Terrorist Purposes in Bamako, Mali (16-18 April 2019)
National Workshop on Countering the Use of the Internet for Terrorist Purposes in Nouakchott, Mauritania (25-29 August 2019)