The autumn session of the 43rd edition of the International Cultural Moussem of Assilah, started on Sunday, in the presence of an audience of Moroccan and foreign experts, intellectuals and researchers. Speaking in this context, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans Living Abroad, Nasser Bourita, focused on the destabilizing role played by separatist groups in Africa.
The existence of separatist groups in Africa is a direct factor in the outbreak of civil wars and racial and ethnic conflicts, as well as upheavals in the social and cultural fabric which undermine the foundations and stability of the countries of the continent, the Minister affirmed in an address read on his behalf.
In this sense, he stressed that the security challenges facing the African continent today are, taken as a whole, unprecedented and unexpected, with a pace that continues to accelerate and a complexity that grows exponentially.
Nearly half of the world’s victims of terrorism have perished in Africa, especially as terrorist organizations expand and increasingly impose their control in geographic areas across the continent, he added. said, noting that Africa remains the continent most affected by crises, conflicts, wars and the repercussions of climate change which threaten food security and cause demographic transformations due to forced displacement and migration.
According to the minister, Africa also faces the scourge of arms and drug smuggling, aggravated by porous borders and weak and fragile security systems, and the absence of good governance and strong institutions has generated a state of political and social instability, dragging the democratic process into chronic fragility which manifests itself through successive military coups.
Separatist ideology not only provokes civil wars, but also fuels extremism and terrorism, Bourita said, explaining that separatist and terrorist movements display several points of convergence, namely undermining the sovereignty and foundations of States, attracting abundant funding and replicating operational tactics.
In this regard, he considered it necessary to establish effective partnerships based on existing structures, in particular regional organizations, stressing the need to strengthen synergies and unify the efforts deployed on the African continent at the national, sub-regional and regional, taking into account the requirements and specificities of the countries.
Regarding the Kingdom, Bourita stressed that Morocco trusts regional organizations and supports all the steps of the African Union, whose Peace and Security Council is chaired by Morocco during the month of October, recalling that the Moroccan capital, Rabat, is home to an important African body: the African Observatory of Migrations.
The Kingdom not only supports regional organizations, but also paved the way for the creation of the Organization of African Unity, and defined the common framework for action, he continued, explaining that Morocco, in accordance to the royal guidelines, has devoted his efforts, since his return to the African Union, to the reunification and development of the pan-African body, by adopting the policy advocated by the Sovereign in Africa, based on responsibility, solidarity and joint action.
After recalling that Morocco, alongside these contributions, is making tireless efforts to eliminate marginalization and exclusion, combat climate change and threats to food security and combat the root causes of extremism, Bourita supported that the Moroccan approach is based on the idea of a global and broad commitment at different levels, by lending a hand and accompanying brotherly African countries in the different stages of the achievement of security and development.
This is done, he said, through participation in UN peacekeeping forces deployed in Africa and effective contribution to the fight against terrorism, through a comprehensive and innovative approach aimed at eliminating terrorism in its source, accepted by African countries that benefit from the training and education of imams and morchidines.