17 May 2016 - The United Nations estimates that in recent years, over 25,000 youth have left their home countries to join the ranks of various terrorist and armed groups operating in the North Africa and Middle East region. To counter the rising concern around foreign terrorist fighters (FTF), the Government of Burkina Faso - with legislative assistance from UNODC - recently adopted an updated counter-terrorism law which features provisions against this threat. This comes on the back of the deadly January 2016 attacks in the capital Ouagadougou and other events in the region that point towards terrorists expanding their sphere of influence, increasingly targeting Sahel countries.
As part of UNODC's on-going counter-terrorism work in Burkina Faso, the Office assisted legal drafters and legislators to ensure the inclusion of the FTF phenomenon in the updated law. A direct role was played in helping to incorporate provisions related to FTF through a special workshop and a number of other activities under the UNODC-supported Sahel Judicial Platform. UNODC's legal experts had already helped draft the 2009 counter-terrorism law in the country, and efforts are ongoing in ensuring that current and future laws are aligned with international norms and standards, especially those related to human rights.
UNODC also provides on-going assistance for building knowledge and skills of criminal justice officials and law enforcement agencies. For instance, a national training workshop on Rule of Law-based investigations and prosecutions of terrorism-related cases was recently organized for the first time at the national level. The workshop gathered 30 criminal justice and law enforcement officials. Two more training workshops are planned, aiming to enhance, in compliance with the Rule of Law, the investigative and prosecutorial skills of officials, judges and prosecutors during terrorism cases. The training also included practical exercises and case studies led by UNODC experts on the collection of forensic evidence on crime scenes, suitable investigation techniques and joint investigations.
In his opening speech at the workshop, the Director General for Criminal Policy of the Ministry of Justice, Pascal Bamouni, stated that to respond to the regional and national challenges related to terrorism, his country has undertaken structural reforms aimed at establishing a judicial division and a police unit specialized in countering terrorism. "To be fully operational and efficient, these structures must be run by actors experienced in treating such cases." In this regard, the UNODC-led workshops are intended to train specialized personnel by giving them the essential tools to conduct effective judicial investigations and prosecution of terrorism cases.
This activity took place in the framework of the UNODC Contribution to the UN Integrated Strategy for the Sahel and its Sahel Programme, following up on a previous training efforts on investigating terrorism cases and on the legal framework against terrorism.
UNODC and Terrorism Prevention in West and Central Africa
UNODC Training Module on Human Rights and Criminal Justice Responses to Terrorism
UNODC Contribution to the UN Integrated Strategy for the Sahel