APS : Sunday, 24 June 2018
ALGIERS- Foreign Minister Abdelkader Messahel said Sunday Algeria was “ready to share its experience” in the fight against violent extremism and terrorism.
In an opening address at the Third Regional Conversations on Prevention of Violent Extremism, the Minister expressed Algeria’s willingness to share its experience in the fight against violent extremism and terrorism.”
Held under the theme “Investing in Peace and Violence Prevention in the Sahel-Saharan Region,” the event is meant to “raise awareness, exchange good practices and share Algeria’s experience.”
Messahel said the main goal of such an initiative is to “mobilize the collective effort of countries and boost our respective capacities to face this threat.
He added that “this threat knows no border, especially in the Sahel region with which Algeria shares strong historical, human, cultural, economic and security relations.”
“Radicalization and violent extremis is today a scourge facing a growing number of countries,” the Foreign minister said.
“The spread of (this scourge) through some African regions is facilitated by the combination of two factors, in addition to what we already know, namely the Internet, social networks, encrypted platforms, and even Darknet, on the one hand, and financial interests among the young suffering from poverty and lack of future prospects, on the other.”
The event is organized, with the support of Algeria, by the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS, the International Peace Institute (IPI), Switzerland’s Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) and the African Centre for Study and Research on Terrorism (ACSRT).
About sixty participants, from the Sahel-Saharan region (North Africa, West Africa and Central Africa) are taking part in the event.
