The African Centre for the Study and Research on Terrorism, represented by Col. Emmanuel Christian MOUAYA POUYI and Mr. Elias BENYU participated in a National Training Course on the Fight against Terrorism organized and conducted by Institute of Security Studies (ISS) in Nouakchott, Mauritania from 08 to 19 June 2014.

Mechanism of the conference:
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in conjunction with the Government of the United Republic of Tanzania has organized an “Expert Meeting on developing Regional Mechanisms for the International Cooperation in Criminal Matters to address Trans-National Organized Crime in East Africa” which was held from 10-13 June 2014 in Zanzibar, United Republic of Tanzania. The ACSRT was represented at the meeting by Ms. Judith van der Merwe, counter-terrorism Analyst at the Africa Centre for the Study and Research on Terrorism (ACSRT/CAERT) responsible for East and southern African regions. Other invitees were from Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Burundi, Seychelles, Madagascar, Comoros, Tanzania, Djibouti, Namibia, Burkina Faso, IGAD, EAC, WACAP, Interpol, Euro-just, UNODC, Indian Ocean Commission, and ARINSA, and various UN agencies.

In the context of the People’s Republic of China’s commitment to strengthen global cooperation and exchange of information in the fight against terrorism, and, with the view of promoting closer collaboration between the African Centre for the study and Research on Terrorism (ACSRT) and the Chinese Authorities, two ACSRT staff, together with representatives of 9 African countries, attended, from 6-26 May 2014, a seminar on Anti-Terrorism for English Speaking African Countries financed by the Ministry of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China and organized by the Shandong Police College in Jinan, Shandong Province.

On 15 and 16 April 2014 Ambassador Francisco Madeira, Special Representative for Counter-Terrorism Cooperation and Director of the African Centre for the Study and Research on Terrorism and members of the ACSRT staff, held separate meetings with H.E. Frédéric Meurice, Belgian Ambassador to Algeria and H.E. Ambassador Ifigeneria Kontolenotos, Ambassador of Greece to Algeria.

On 6 April 2014 a high-level delegation of United Nations officials led by Ms. Cristina Amaral, Director, UNDP Representative and Resident Coordinator, visited the African Centre for the Study and Research on Terrorism (ACSRT). Their discussion with Ambassador Francisco Madeira Special Representative of the AU Chairperson for Counter Terrorism Cooperation and Director of the ACSRT focused on the African Union’s Counter Terrorism Strategy and the current Terrorism situation in different African Regions.

On 1st April, H.E. LIU Yuhe, Ambassador of China to Algeria, paid a working visit to the ACSRT to learn more about the African Union Counter terrorism strategy and the role of the ACSRT in the implementation of this important African counter terrorism instrument.

Ambassador LIU Yuhe indicated that the international and regional counter-terrorism situation is undergoing profound and complex changes. These changes pose new threats and challenges to both China and Africa. They require the two sides to further strengthen counter terrorism cooperation and coordination in order to safeguard their common security interests.

The African Centre for the Study and Re-search on Terrorism, represented by Mr. Elias BENYU (Training Specialist), participated in the Intergovernmental Authority on Development-Security Sector programme (ISSP)’s Ethiopia National Workshop on ‘Promoting International Instruments to Counter Terrorism’ held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on 20 March 2014.

From 3 to 5 March 2014, the African Centre for the Study and Research on Terrorism (ACSRT/CAERT), and the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) jointly organized, at ACSRT’s Headquarters in Algiers, a workshop for the Sahel and Maghreb Member States, on “Strengthening Border Related Counter Terrorism Capacities in the Sahel and the Maghreb through International Databases and Enhanced Cooperation, Coordination and Information Exchange”.

On 26 February 2014, Ambassador Francisco Madeira, AU Counter-Terrorism Cooperation Special Representative and Director of the African Centre for the Study and Research on Terrorism, together with ACSRT staff members, received a delegation led by President Pierre Buyoya, AU High Representative for Mali and the Sahel (MISAHEL).

The visit was aimed at acquainting ACSRT and MISAHEL with the mandate and activities of each other, align and streamline common areas of activity with a view to designing a cooperation modality that reflects coherence, avoids overlapping and ensures an effective and proactive complementarity.

On 23 February 2014, Ambassador Francisco Madeira, AU Special Counter-Terrorism Cooperation Representative and Director of the African Centre for the Study and Research on Terrorism and ACSRT staff members, received a German Delegation led by Mr. Waldemar KINDLER, Retired Director, Advisor to Ministry of the Interior for North Africa, former president of the County Police in Bavaria. The other members of the delegation were Mr. Steffen RUSS, Senior Police Superintendent, Head of IK2 Division, BKA and Mr. Mirko HEINKE, Federal Police Technical Director in Ministry of the Interior and Mr. Frank Hoppenheit, BKA-VB Algiers .