The Ministerial Meeting of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS opened on Wednesday 11 May in Marrakech, with the participation of representatives of more than 80 countries and international organisations.
The Conference was jointly chaired by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans Abroad, Nasser Bourita, and the US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, Victoria Nuland, who replaced Antony Blinken who could not attend due to Covid. The meeting reviewed actions taken in terms of stabilisation efforts in areas previously impacted by Daesh, in the area of strategic communication against the radicalisation propaganda of this terrorist group and its affiliates, and the fight against foreign terrorist fighters.
Opening the meeting, Nasser Bourita highlighted “Separatism and terrorism are very often two sides of the same coin.”
“A worrying trend has been on the rise without garnering the necessary attention: the terrorism-separatism nexus,” the Minister stated, stressing that “the collusion against the sovereignty and stability of states, and the convergence of financial, tactical and operational means, create an objective alliance between terrorist and separatist groups.”
This has been confirmed by the increasing number of individuals crossing from separatist to terrorist groups and vice-versa, Bourita explained, adding that “those who finance, shelter, support and weaponize separatism, are actually contributing to spread terrorism and further compromise regional peace and security.”
“Let us not be mistaken: encouraging separatism is tantamount to complicity with terrorism,” he concluded.
The hosting by Morocco of this international event reflects the confidence enjoyed by the singular approach implemented by the Kingdom under the enlightened leadership of HM King Mohammed VI in the fight against terrorism.
This meeting also confirms Morocco’s firm commitment to coordinate closely with its partners to root out the threat emanating from ISIS and thus fight against the sources of terrorism and extremism in the continent.
As the host country of this meeting, and as co-chair of the “Africa Focus Group” under the Coalition, this meeting confirms the leading role of Morocco at the regional and international levels in the fight against terrorism and support for peace, security and stability in Africa.
It is also a strong testimony of the Coalition for Morocco, as a credible partner and provider of regional peace and security, which has notably co-chaired the Global Counterterrorism Forum for three consecutive terms, which hosts the United Nations Office for Counterterrorism and Training in Africa and which was the country of the Continent to have organized, in June 2018, the meeting of the Political Directors of the Global Coalition against Daesh, dedicated to the terrorist threat in Africa.
The Global Coalition to defeat ISIS was established in September 2014, in order to fight the terrorist group of Daesh according to a multidisciplinary, inclusive and holistic approach between countries and regional institutions that want to curb the expansionist aspirations of the terrorist group and dismantle its networks.
