Africans look to thwart terrorism through co-operation

02/12/2008

Terrorist financing is the central theme of a conference under way in Algiers. Experts from North and West Africa are meeting to discuss ways to improve and expand counter-terrorism efforts in the region.

By Nazim Fethi for Magharebia in Algiers – 02/12/08

[Getty Images] Tighter border controls can stop trafficking, terrorist funding, Algerian Minister of African and Maghreb Affairs Abdelkader Messahel told the CAERT conference in Algiers.

Experts from countries throughout North and West Africa convened in Algiers on Monday (December 1st) to discuss means of fighting terrorist financing in the region. Organised by the African Union Counter-Terrorism Research Centre (CAERT) and African Centre for Strategic Studies (CESA), with support from the United States Embassy in Algiers, the five-day seminar will address the funding strategies of groups like al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.

Financial and legal experts, along with members of the various national security services will compare experiences and co-ordinate their efforts to put a stop to the kidnappings, racketeering, drug trade and black market sales that provide terrorist organisations with much-needed cash.

Progress has been made so far in Africa in the fight against terrorist funding, said CAERT Director Boubacar Gaoussou Diarra. Since the 1999 OAU Convention on the Prevention and Combating of Terrorism and subsequent African plan adopted in Algiers in 2002, many stages have been completed, particularly on the legal front. He said that nearly all African states have established cells to analyse financial transactions but there is still much work to be done.

"The globalisation of trade, deregulation and easy Internet access are opportunities," Diarra continued, "but they can also have down-sides: the continent, as it opens up to private capital, becomes a target not only for money laundering but also for the funding of terrorism."

The prevalence of informal trade and cash transactions in Africa poses a particular risk that warrants careful consideration, he said. "Since our countries are in great need of investment, the easy temptation is to inject lots of money into our economic and financial systems without always knowing where it originated."

David Pearce, US Ambassador to Algeria, stressed the importance of non-military components in the fight against terrorism. The fight against sources of terrorist funding, he said, occupies a key position in the global effort.

Pearce said the US government set up institutions after the attacks of September 11th, 2001 to monitor and analyse suspicious movement of money. These efforts have led so far to the seizure of some $140m belonging to networks close to al-Qaeda.

Another crucial element in fighting terrorism, the ambassador said, is the economic development of Africa, because terrorist groups exploit the misery and poor living standards of young people in order to recruit them.

In his opening remarks, Abdelkader Messahel, Algerian Minister for African and Maghreb Affairs, condemned certain attitudes in Africa and Europe that he claims encourage terrorist groups to make the African continent their favoured destination.

"It is deplorable to witness the incomprehensible powerlessness of some states in the region in the face of the trafficking which takes place across their borders," he said, "when the money from drugs... most often ends up, after laundering, being used to finance terrorist activities."

Another phenomenon that threatens to erode Africa's efforts against terrorism is the payment of ransoms to hostage takers. Caving in to pressure from kidnappers, Messahel said, is a flagrant violation of international conventions and protocols on combating terrorism.

"If we stand down under pressure and give in to blackmail," he said, "we are only encouraging the terrorist organisations to persevere with their criminal activities. When faced with such situations, our resolve and determination must be unbreakable, if we want the fight against the funding of terrorism to stand any chance of success."

The minister acknowledged the difficulty of the task facing African countries, saying porous borders and harsh climates exacerbate an already challenging situation.

He ended by calling on international financial and law enforcement institutions to help equip African nations with the technology and knowledge to contribute directly to the fight against money-laundering and terrorist financing.