Profile: African Centre for the Study and Research on Terrorism (ACSRT)

PROFILE: AFRICAN CENTRE FOR THE STUDY AND RESEARCH ON TERRORISM (ACSRT)

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[Contact Details] [Member States] [Background] [Objectives] [Structure] [Recent Activities]

Contact Details

Physical / Postal Address

African Centre for Study and Research of Terrorism
05 Rue Hammag Idir Mohammadia
Algiers
Algeria

Tel: +213 21 52 00 82
Fax: +213 21 52 05 72
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: http://www.caert.org.dz/

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Member States

The African Centre for the Study and Research on Terrorism (ACSRT) was established through the Plan of Action of the African Union High-Level Inter-Governmental Meeting on the Prevention and Combating of Terrorism on 11-14 September 2002 in Algiers, Algeria. During this meeting Member States of the Organization for African Unity, subsequently the African Union, endorsed the establishment of the ACSRT. The ACSRT functions in coordination with 53 National Focal Points (Member States) and the Regional Economic Communities (RECs).

As of end of 2006, all Member States with the exception of São Tome & Principé and Zimbabwe are parties to the OAU Convention on the Prevention and Combating of Terrorism. All Member States with the exception of Cape Verde, Eritrea and Tunisia are parties to the Protocol Relating to the Establishment of the Peace and Security Council of the African Union.

Although not yet in force, the Protocol to the OAU Convention on the Prevention and Combating of Terrorism enabled the formal structuring of the ACSRT. As on 26 November 2006, 26 of the 53 Member States have signed and only two (Burundi and Niger) have ratified the Protocol.

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Background

Efforts to improve African regional cooperation in countering terrorism predate the 9/11 attacks and even the 1998 bombings of the American embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. As early as July 1992, the OAU Heads of State and Government during a meeting in Dakar adopted Resolution 213. The objective of this resolution was to strengthen cooperation and coordination between African States, in order to enhance the effectiveness of its initiatives against the first real manifestations of extremism. In the aftermath of the Afghanistan War against the Soviet Union, a number of former mujahideen returned to their countries of origin. This resulted in an upsurge in extremism that subsequently led to a number of acts of terrorism; notably in Algeria, Egypt and Tunisia. Member States thus agreed not to allow any movement using religion, ethnic or other social or cultural differences to incite and justify hostile activities against Member States. This was echoed seven years later in the OAU Convention on the Prevention and Combating of Terrorism (Algiers Convention) of 1999 that called on Member States to implement initiatives to prevent their territories from being used in providing support to any group that could disrupt the stability and the territorial integrity of Member States through the use of violence.

In June 1994, during its session in Tunis, the Assembly of Heads of State and Government adopted a “Declaration on the Code of Conduct for Inter-African Relations”. In this Declaration, the Summit rejected fanaticism and extremism, whatever their nature, origin and form, particularly those based on religion as unacceptable and detrimental to the promotion of peace and security on the continent. The Summit unreservedly condemned terrorist acts, methods and practices and expressed its determination to strengthen cooperation between Member States.

Although the rest of the world refers to 9/11 as the watershed in the manifestation of major international terrorism, African countries were abruptly wakened to the dangers of transnational terrorism when terrorists bombed the Embassies of the United States of America in Dar es-Salaam and Nairobi on 7 August 1998. Influenced by these two incidents and the devastating consequences of domestic terrorism in countries such as Algeria, Egypt, Uganda, etc. Member States called for a new instrument against the growing threat of terrorism and extremism. This resulted in the adoption of the OAU Convention on the Prevention and Combating of Terrorism (Algiers Convention), in Algiers during July 1999 by the 35th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government. The Convention called on Member States’ conviction not to justify terrorism under any circumstances, origin, causes and objectives. The Convention contained a definition on the act of terrorism; provisions for organizing cooperation between Member States – particularly exchanges of information on terrorist groups and the networks that finance them. The Convention also covered areas such as extradition, extraterritorial investigations and legal assistance.

As a sign of greater awareness by OAU Member States of the threat that terrorism poses to the stability and security of Member States, the Constitutive Act of the African Union listed among its principles, the rejection of acts of terrorism (Art.4 (o)). In addition, during the Lomé Summit of the Conference on Security, Stability, Development and Cooperation in Africa (CSSDCA) in July 2000, a ‘Solemn Declaration’ was issued that referred to terrorism twice:

Under the principle on the stability, states declared that, "terrorism, in all its manifestations, is inimical to stability".
In the Plan of Action, meant to translate into concrete actions the principles governing the CSSDCA process, Member States agreed on the need to "exchange information and cooperation, at the Sub-regional level, on security matters, especially on issues relating to terrorism…" [Paragraph 14 (d)].

It was however in the aftermath of the acts of terrorism in the United States on 11 September 2001 and the subsequent United Nations Security Council Resolution 1373 (2001) that OAU Member States collectively called for the implementation of the Algiers Convention. This led to the Plan of Action of the African Union for the Prevention and Combating of Terrorism in September 2002 and the Protocol to the OAU Convention on the Prevention and Combating of Terrorism adopted in July 2004.

The Protocol Relating to the Establishment of the Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the African Union adopted on 9 July 2002 tasked the PSC with initiatives to:

Co-ordinate and harmonize continental efforts in the prevention and combating of international terrorism in all its aspects (Art 3(d); and
Ensure the implementation of the OAU Convention on the Prevention and Combating of Terrorism and other relevant international, continental and regional conventions and instruments and harmonize and coordinate efforts at regional and continental levels to combat international terrorism (Art 7(i)

The responsibilities of the PSC in relation to terrorism was broken down within The Plan of Action adopted in September 2002 to:

Prepare, publicize and regularly review a list of persons, groups and entities involved in terrorist acts. The list shall be drawn up on the basis of precise information or material proof from Member States and other sources. To this end, the Council shall make contact with Member States as well as non-Member States on all matters relating to terrorism and the activities of terrorist groups;
Request all Member States, on an annual basis, to report on the steps taken to prevent and combat terrorism and, where appropriate, on the implementation of the Algiers Convention;
Present an annual report to the Assembly of the Union on the situation in the continent as far as terrorism is concerned; and
Monitor and make recommendations on the implementation of this Plan of Action.

These responsibilities were supplemented by the Protocol to the OAU Convention on the Prevention and Combating of Terrorism (2004). In harmonizing and coordinating continental efforts, the PSC, in addition to above-mentioned responsibilities was called to (Art 4):

(a) Establish operating procedures for information gathering, processing and dissemination;
(b) Establish mechanisms to facilitate the exchange of information among States Parties on patterns and trends in terrorist acts and the activities of terrorist groups and on successful practices on combating terrorism;
(f) Establish an information network with national, regional and international focal points on terrorism.

Following the Plan of Action, the Protocol to the OAU Convention on the Prevention and Combating of Terrorism, provided further that the Commissioner of the PSC will be assisted by a Unit established within the Peace and Security Department of the Commission and the African Centre for the Study and Research on Terrorism.

The ACSRT was subsequently inaugurated during the Second High-Level Inter-Governmental Meeting on the Prevention and Combating of Terrorism in Africa held in Algiers, Algeria on 13-14 October 2004.

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Objectives

The ASRT was established as constituted under Section H, Paragraphs 19 to 21 of the AU Plan of Action on the Prevention and Combating of Terrorism and pursuant to the relevant decisions adopted by the policy Organs of the Union including in particular, Assembly/AU/Dec.15 (II); EX.CL/Dec.13 (II); EX/CL/Dec.82 (IV); and EX.CL/Dec.126 (V).

The purpose of the ACSRT is to contribute to and strengthen the capacity of the African Union through the PSC in the prevention and combating of terrorism in Africa, with the ultimate objective of eliminating the threat posed by terrorism to peace, security, stability and development in Africa. To this end, the ACSRT will collect and centralize information, studies and analyses on terrorism and terrorist groups and develop training programs by organizing, with the assistance of international partners, training schedules, meetings and symposia. The functions of the ACSRT are to:

Assist Member States of the African Union in developing strategies for the prevention and combating of terrorism;
Establish operating procedures for information gathering, processing and dissemination;
Provide technical and expert advice on the implementation of the African Union counter-terrorism regimes, in particular, the 1999 OAU Convention, the Plan of Action on the Prevention and Combating of Terrorism, and the Protocol to the OAU Convention, as well as on the updating and strengthening of policies and programmes of the Union relating to counter-terrorism;
Develop and maintain a database on a range of issues relating to the prevention and combating of terrorism, particularly on terrorist groups and their activities in Africa, as well as on experts and technical assistance available. This database, that will include analyses, will be accessible to all Member States;
Promote the coordination and standardization of efforts aimed at enhancing the capacity of Member States to prevent and combat terrorism;
Initiate and disseminate research studies and policy analyses periodically to sensitize Member States, based on the current trends, and/or on the demand of Member State(s). The Centre shall periodically publish, its research and analyses, in an "African Journal for the Prevention and Combating of Terrorism";
Develop cooperation and assistance programmes with similar and/or interested institutions at national, regional, continental and international levels, in the areas of research, information gathering and analyses on issues relating to the prevention and combating of terrorism;
Undertake research and converging studies on other global security problems with links to terrorism, which pose a threat to peace and security in Africa;
Develop capacity for early warning to encourage early response, integrating the concept of Preventive Management of Crisis;
Provide technical and expert advice on how best Africa can contribute in a more meaningful way to the international campaign against terrorism, particularly the implementation of relevant international instruments by Member States of the African Union;
Undertake studies and make recommendations on the strengthening and standardization of legal norms and cooperation in matters of information-sharing among Member States, mutual assistance, extradition, police and border control (including land, maritime and air) in Africa;
Conduct studies and analyses on the best strategies and methods for suppressing the financing of terrorism;
Organize workshops, seminars, symposia and training programs for enhancing the capacity of Member States and Regional Mechanisms in the prevention and combating of terrorism in Africa;
Submit annual reports on its activities to the Chairperson of the Commission, for consideration by the policy Organs of the Union. The annual report shall include a financial statement on the activities undertaken in the previous year and the budget of activities envisaged for the following fiscal year.

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Organisational Structure

The ACSRT was established as a structure of the Peace and Security Council of the African Union, in conformity with the Protocol to the OAU Convention on the Prevention and Combating of Terrorism, and is therefore responsible to the PSC.

The following organizational structure of the ACSRT was adopted by the Executive Council of the African Union and the African Heads of State and Government at the Khartoum Summit in January 2006:

Director

The ACSRT is headed by a Director (currently Ambassador Diarra Boubacar Gaoussou from Mali) who reports to the Chairperson of the Commission of the PSC. It is also the responsibility of the Director to submit an annual report on the activities of the ACSRT to the Chairperson of the Commission for consideration by the policy Organs of the African Union.

Training and Equipment Unit

Given the responsibility of the ACSRT to organize workshops, seminars, symposia and training programs for enhancing the capacity of Member States in the prevention and combating of terrorism in Africa, the Centre intends to provide training in the following fields:

Investigation;
Analysis and operational use of information;
Specific armed intervention;
Detection and neutralization of explosives;
Protection of VIP’s;
Protection of institutions, infrastructures and sensitive sites (airports, ports, embassies);
Specialized training of judges in the prosecution of terrorism related cases;
Crime scene and forensic training; and
Specific training for combating the financing of terrorism.

It is also the responsibility of the Unit to distribute equipment used in the prevention and combating of terrorism. This includes for example, surveillance and equipment to detect explosives, equipment to assist the detection of forgeries as well as specialized software.

Alert and Prevention Unit

Integrating the concept of a Preventive Crisis Management, this Unit has to:

Initiate and disseminate research studies and policy analyses periodically to sensitize Member States, based on the current trends, and / or on the demand of Member State(s);
Provide technical and expert advice on how best Africa can contribute in a more meaningful way to the international campaign against terrorism, particularly the implementation of relevant international instruments by Member States of the African Union;
Assess and audit the mechanisms of prevention and protection operational in Member States;
Suggest norms of protection and preventative regulations; and
Undertake research and converging studies on other global security challenges with links to terrorism, which pose a threat to peace and security in Africa.

Data Bank and Documentation Unit

This Unit’s responsibility is to:

Establish operating procedures for information gathering, processing and dissemination.
Develop and maintain a databank on a range of issues relating to the prevention and combating of terrorism, in order to address the needs of Member States and international partners, in developing strategies for the prevention and combating of terrorism.
Establish an auto-visual library to be used by experts and consultants.
This Unit will also establish interactivity databases to be used by Member States and international partners in matters relating to training, specific equipment, expertise and people’s skills.

National and Regional Focal Points

Primary to the success of the ACSRT is the establishment and coordination with National Focal Points in Member States and Regional Economic Communities (REC’s). Under Art 3(d) of the Protocol, Member States were called upon to establish national contact points in order to facilitate the timely exchange and sharing of information on terrorist groups and their activities on regional, continental and international levels.

The functioning of the ACSRT and its relationship with its 53 Focal Points can be summarized in the schematic presentation below.

It is also the mission of the ACSRT to cooperate and develop partnerships with similar centres and other institutions interested or involved in counter terrorism on national, regional, continental and international levels.

The ACSRT therefore function as a research centre of excellence in matters concerning the prevention and combating of terrorism in Africa and serves to strengthen the capacity of the African Union to deal with issues relating to the prevention and combating of Terrorism.

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Recent Activities

In October 2005 the Center convened a meeting to discuss the threat of terrorism in Africa
The Center has held two meetings for its national focal points
ACSRT has held a training program on explosives (2006)
The Center has held a meeting on "Building Capacity in African Sub Regional Organisations with a focus on West Africa in January 2007
The Center has scheduled a seminar on `Terrorism and Religious Extremism` in Algiers in February 2007.