UNODC and EAPCCO Strengthening Investigation and Intelligence Capacity to Counter Links between Terrorism and Transnational Organized Crime in Eastern Africa

The Eastern Africa Police Chiefs Cooperation Organization (EAPCCO) Regional Counter-Terrorism Centre of Excellence (CTCoE) and UNODC recently presented a 5-day training workshop on “Strengthening Investigations and Intelligence Capacities of Terrorism Cases with Links to Transnational Organized Crime” at the Marine Police College in Mwanza, Tanzania.

The overall aim of the workshop was to foster stronger national inter-agency collaboration between criminal intelligence officers, investigators and prosecutors, including cultivating practices of early involvement of prosecutors in the investigative phase of terrorism and related cases.

Criminal justice practitioners from Burundi, Comoros, DRC, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda as well as expert facilitators from the Institute for Security Studies (ISS), East Africa Community (EAC), Global Centre for Policy & Strategy (GLOCEPS) EAPCCO CTCoE, INTERPOL and UNODC discussed the prevalence and solutions to links between terrorism and transnational organized crime and the serious threats it posed to peace, security and development in Eastern Africa.

Mr. Ramadhan Ng’anzi, Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police, representing the Inspector General of Police of the Tanzania Police Force, welcomed the participants to Mwanza and the Marine Police College. In his opening remarks, Mr. Ng’anzi, highlighted the crucial need to build capacity of law enforcement officers and prosecutors dealing with the cross-cutting field of terrorism and organized crime.

The workshop focused on special investigation techniques, proactive intelligence taking, collection and analysis, including the use of open-source intelligence and digital evidence. Discussions also focused extensively on means to strengthen regional cooperation, including through information exchange, joint operations and investigations, and sharing of regional knowledge and best practices in responding to the challenges posed by the links between terrorism and transnational organized crime.

UNODC continues to emphasize the importance of enhanced regional cooperation of Member States to counter the links between TOC and terrorism cases, as required by UN Security Council Resolution 2482 (2019) on the Links between Terrorism and Transnational Organized Crime.

UNODC, with technical expertise and knowledge to address links between TOC and terrorism cases, will continue to support and is ready to upscale support to Member States including through national and regional training workshops as well as bilateral technical assistance implemented through the UNODC Transnational Organized Crime, Illicit Trafficking and Terrorism Programmes for Eastern Africa.