Morocco hosts African counterterrorism summit amid rising threats

Wednesday 10 - 09:52

By: Dakir Madiha

Morocco hosts African counterterrorism summit amid rising threats

The fifth edition of the high-level meeting of African counterterrorism and security agencies opened in El Jadida, Morocco, bringing together representatives from around 40 intelligence and security services across the continent. The event, known as the Marrakech Platform, is co-chaired by Morocco and the United Nations counterterrorism office. It continues a regional forum launched in 2022 that has rotated through several Moroccan cities, including Marrakech, Tangier, Fes, Agadir and El Jadida.

Officials used the opening session to underline the growing complexity of security threats across Africa. The gathering focuses on coordination, information sharing and capacity building among African states facing expanding extremist activity. Participants highlighted the increasing geographic spread of armed groups and their growing links with transnational criminal networks operating across borders.

Morocco’s foreign minister Nasser Bourita presented a framework linking security, development and continental identity. He said Africa’s challenges are multidimensional, pointing to the expansion of terrorist groups into new regions, the convergence of extremist organizations with criminal networks, and emerging risks linked to rapid technological change and artificial intelligence. He also stressed that Morocco’s engagement in counterterrorism reflects a strategic responsibility tied to regional stability.

Bourita called for a stronger African role in shaping global counterterrorism strategy within the United Nations system. He also referenced Moroccan initiatives aimed at strengthening regional connectivity, including efforts to improve Sahel countries’ access to the Atlantic Ocean. The proposal forms part of broader economic and geopolitical outreach across West and Central Africa.

Security assessments presented during the meeting highlighted sustained activity by Daesh affiliates across parts of the continent. International briefings earlier in the year noted increased recruitment, financing through illicit taxation and ransom kidnappings, and the use of new technologies to support operations. A 2026 United States counterterrorism strategy identified the resurgence of jihadist activity in the Sahel as a key priority.

The Marrakech Platform was created to strengthen operational coordination among African security institutions. Moroccan officials described its evolution as evidence of a long-term regional framework combining security responses with development policy and social inclusion measures. The approach was presented as a central pillar of Morocco’s regional security doctrine.