United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime

The UNODC Regional Office in East Africa (ROEA)

UNODC and EAPCCO Regional Counter-Terrorism Centre launch first Issue Paper through new webinar series

Nairobi, 4 August 2021 - The Eastern Africa Police Chiefs Cooperation Organization (EAPCCO) Regional Counter Terrorism Centre of Excellence (CTCoE) this week, with the assistance of UNODC, launched its first Issue Paper during a new EAPCCO CTCoE and UNODC webinar series on “The Role of Law Enforcement in Preventing and Countering Terrorism in Eastern Africa”.

The ever-evolving threat of violent extremism and terrorism in Eastern Africa and the rest of the continent requires the best possible policy and operational decisions to prevent and counter these crimes. This requires a much better understanding of these threats. 

Entitled "Cooperation between Law Enforcement and Prison Authorities in Counterterrorism Cases: Unravelling Expectations and Proposals to Strengthen Cooperation", this first Issue Paper was presented by authors, Dr. Anneli Botha (UNODC Terrorism Prevention Consultant) and Mr. Isaiah Abillah (EAPCCO CTCoE Researcher). They were joined by a panel of experts, including Dr. Peter Bennett (UNODC Expert Consultant and former Director of the International Centre for Prison Studies), Ms. Anna Terins (UNODC Global Maritime Crime Programme Prison Expert), and Mr. David Wasswa, Head of Counter-Terrorism Intelligence and Investigations of the Uganda Police Force.

The Issue Paper focuses on exploring why cooperation between law enforcement and prison authorities is necessary in preventing and countering terrorism as part of a comprehensive criminal justice approach, but also what prohibits, and how such cooperation can be improved. The study concentrated on Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda presents several recommendations to improve police-prison cooperation, including:           

1. Understanding mandates and circumstances within each agency;
2. Creating a conducive environment, including mutual trust, for information sharing;
3. Developing clear policy directives;
4. Enhancing counterintelligence;
5. Capacity building and training for police and prison staff;
6. Focusing on the benefits of cooperation and partnership and establishing and maintaining a partnership;
7. Enchaining understanding through research.

The EAPCCO CTCoE Issue Papers to be published in the coming weeks aim to provide policy options and recommendations for Chiefs of Police in Eastern Africa on various aspects of preventing and countering terrorism. In turn, the new initial four-part EAPCCO CTCoE and UNODC webinar series will serve as a terrorism prevention knowledge platform for promoting research publications and for roundtable discussions between practitioners and regional experts in Eastern Africa and beyond. Held under the Chatham House Rules, the webinar series will create an opportunity for law enforcement practitioners in the Eastern Africa region, academia, civil society, donors, partners and media, discuss the development of appropriate policy and operational responses to the identified current and emerging threats posed by terrorism and violent extremism.

The initial webinar series will include a further three sessions, which will take place on each Wednesday during August. The next session on 11 August will see the launch of the Issue Paper on “Countering Financing of Terrorism in Eastern Africa”, followed by and Issue Paper on “Law Enforcement engagement with Victims of Terrorism” on 18 August, and finally “Use of the Internet, other Digital Platforms and Digital Devices for Acts of Terrorism in Eastern Africa” on 25 August. 

The Issue Papers and webinar series forms part of the UNODC regional project on Supporting EAPCCO and its Regional Counter-Terrorism Centre of Excellence to Prevent and Counter Terrorism in Eastern Africa, funded by the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany.

Building on the previous project “Supporting and enhancing the EAPCCO Regional Counter-Terrorism Centre of Excellence for Eastern Africa”, the aim of this project is to support and strengthen the capacity of Eastern Africa Police Chiefs Cooperation Organization (EAPCCO) Member States, EAPCCO Secretariat and EAPCCO Regional Counter-Terrorism Centre of Excellence (CTCoE) to effectively prevent and counter terrorism and links to transnational organized in Eastern Africa, including through enhanced international cooperation in criminal matters, with a rule of law and human rights-based approach.

For more information, please contact: 

Mr. Johan Kruger – johan.kruger@un.org

Head of Transnational Organized Crime, Illicit Trafficking and Terrorism Programmes,

UNODC Regional Office for Eastern Africa