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It is my great pleasure to co-host this meeting today with my Egyptian colleague, the new Foreign Affairs Minister of Egypt, Badr Abdelatty. This is the Minister’s first Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF) Ministerial and I am very pleased to be continuing the partnership with Egypt in co-leading this Forum. The European Union has been in the role of co-chair for two years now and I would like to thank all Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF) members for what has been a very fruitful cooperation. 

Together, we have been working to keep this Forum fit in responding to the global threat of terrorism. Which is not, unhappily, decreasing – [on] the contrary.  

We have said many times that the threat of terrorism evolves quickly. The work of our Forum needs to remain a driving force in developing the ways and means to prevent and counter terrorism and violent extremism wherever it happens. We need to focus on prevention, the civilian perspective and an inclusive approach.  

To achieve results, we need to engage with governments and societies to bring the most affected communities together with regional and global partners: this Forum has to help – it has helped – but it has to continue helping establishing networks needed to tackle such a complex cross-border threat.  

We have sought to be inclusive and to focus on thematic and geographical areas where this threat is most acute. Unhappily, it is difficult to choose where this threat is more acute. It is acute everywhere, but let us choose the worst cases, the worst scenarios.  

That is why we are focusing today’s discussion on Africa. Well, “Africa” does not exist, in fact there are different African realities. That is why we have the African Union with us today – very [big] welcome to the African Union. 

This meeting is particularly important because the threat of terrorism is increasing nowhere as rapidly as it is doing on the African continent. One thing is the stock, another thing is the flow. And the flow is increasing very quickly in the African continent. I am very well placed to know that because I have been working with the Sahel and the Horn of Africa during all my mandate. 

All the indicators are on “red”: be that the number of attacks, the number of victims, the geographical coverage of terrorist activity, the expansion of the territories that the terrorist groups control, and the increased sophistication of means and weapons those groups have been using. And this does not happen by accident, someone is supporting them. Someone is providing them with the means; these do not grow from the trees. 

I was reading today on the Houthis having a stronger capacity, and much sophisticated means. It is not because this has [grown like] the flowers in the desert. They have been provided with this capacity.

This is a threat which does not know borders. It is like the pandemic. [Terrorism] does not know borders, it goes from one side to the other. Terrorism in one country, or even a continent [can spill] over to all parts of the world.  

Then there are the affiliations. These groups are affiliating to networks. These networks help them to disseminate the know-how, the financing and the propaganda within and beyond the African continent. Terrorism is destroying lives and livelihoods.  

The most awful case I knew was in the Sahelian area, where people there [had their] small livelihoods being destroyed. Then, migration becomes the only way out to look for a future – or to get recruited by a terrorist organisation that offers them a salary, a motorcycle, a machine gun, social respectability. They make them someone. It is part of – not their wellbeing – just of their being [as individuals].  People want to be, and to be recognised.  

Terrorism today is a provider of a social status. This is the great catastrophe. Terrorism is providing better social status than working with peace and in peace. So, we need to get as many countries as possible to join forces against this threat.  

We agree with many African governments that the long-term solution requires addressing the root causes of terrorism. There is no magic wand – this has root causes; you cannot solve it overnight. We have to start by equipping our partners in Africa to prevent the terrorist groups’ crimes – look at the map. It is clear how in spite of the institutions’ activities in Africa, [terrorist activities] are widespread in the two main difficult zones – from Mozambique to Somalia, and from the Sahel towards the Gulf of Guinea.  

The GCTF, we are well placed as a multilateral Forum that develops global solutions to tackle terrorism and its root causes. It allows us to learn from each other and to coordinate our efforts more effectively. Developing also – we have to develop also – international networks, sharing expertise and knowledge.  

If I may direct your attention to the map [map is shown on screens], you can see that the GCTF-“inspired” institutions are now everywhere, they are concentrated. We are delivering [more than] 55 activities in 18 countries. The ones that I was mentioning before are the ones in which the threat is developing quicker and being more present.

I think there is room to do more to help roll-back and to prevent the contagion and the spillover of terrorism and violent extremism coming from elsewhere on the continent. So, I encourage you – strongly encourage you – to support the tools that the GCTF is placing in Senegal, in Benin, in Cameroon, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, in Tanzania, in South Sudan and elsewhere in Africa.  

Today, the African Union Commission is our guest of honour, and we would like to hear from you: where are we on track, where are we falling short of your needs, where can the GCTF work more closely with the African Union for a fitting – and much-needed – civilian response to the threat on the African continent?  

From our part, we will support you with European Union expertise in developing the Continental Strategic Plan of Action to counter terrorism in Africa – which is a key element to implement the Malabo Declaration of 2022. We also look to others around the table to do – all of you – your utmost to support this cooperation at the continental level.   

This is a real challenge; so, thank you very much for being here and for working together. And now I give the floor to Minister Abdelatty, who I know will have to fly quickly to another engagement, but it is a great pleasure to share with you this event, my dear Minister. 

Link to video: https://audiovisual.ec.europa.eu/en/video/I-261104