Messahel: “Africa Should Map Out Strategy To Dry Up Sources Of Terrorism Financing”

Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdelkader Messahel confirmed on Monday that Algeria’s hosting of the high-profile meeting on combating terrorism financing in Africa is very important and is witnessing the participation of more than 30 African countries and international organizations specialized in the fight against the terrorism scourge.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs told the press on the sidelines of this high-level meeting held at the International Conference Center that “the delegates must study how best to coordinate among all African countries and exchange experiences and information among them on the issue of terrorism financing, stressing that this burning issue is now very important for the African continent.”
He added that “the recommendations that will come out of this major meeting will be submitted to the next summit of Heads of State and Government of the African Union, which will be held next month in Nouakchott, Mauritania.”
The minister also stressed that “Africa should work out a strategy on draining the sources of financing terrorism, if it wants to combat this low-down phenomenon, which has become coordinated with the organized crime in the region.”
Mr. Messahel explained that the Algiers meeting also falls within the framework of “workshops organized by Algeria during the past months, whether related to the phenomenon of cybercrime or the Algerian experience in combating violent extremism,” noting “the great role played by Algeria under the wise leadership of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, before his counterparts as an African coordinator tasked with striving to stamp out violent extremism and counter-terrorism in Africa.”
In the same context, he stressed that “the reports of the United Nations indicate that the financial amount spawned by the financing of terrorism in Africa, especially in the Sahel region has reached more than one billion dollars, and the source of this funding comes from the drugs trade or human trafficking, illegal immigration or the payment of ransoms.
Mr. Messahel further praised the efforts of the United Nations and various partners to drain the sources of terrorism financing and the unflagging efforts to eradicate this phenomenon in the region, while calling for “legal action to allow the adaptation of African legislation with the sustained fight against this nefarious phenomenon.”
The high-level Algiers meeting on “Combating the Financing of Terrorism in Africa”, organized jointly by Algeria and the African Union for two days, is witnessing the participation of delegates from member countries of the African Union, the United Nations, the European Union and other international and regional organizations active in the fight against terrorism and its financing in addition to the presence of the representatives of the five members of the United Nations Security Council and Canada.