Programme Office in Mozambique

Terrorism and Prevention of Violent Extremism

Background

The northern provinces of Mozambique have been suffering from terrorist activities since 2017, featuring a relatively high number of attacks on civilians and staggering number of Internally Displaced Persons. Beyond gaps and unclear definitions at the policy level regarding the criminalization of terrorism and terrorist financing offenses, Mozambique faces significant challenges in evidence collection in terrorism-related cases, as well as lack of legal frameworks to effectively prosecute terrorists. This, in turn, hinders due diligence, communication and coordination between relevant criminal justice institutions involved in the immediate response, investigation, and prosecution of terrorism cases. To detain the spread of violence, it is paramount that authorities dealing with counterterrorism its financing be supported through capacity-building and institutional support in order to effectively investigate terrorism cases, bring terrorists to justice in line with human rights standards and allow for the safe return of displaced persons to their communities.

The threat and the effects of organized and transnational crime affect the lives of people, security, politics, and the economy, and has created a humanitarian crisis in the country, which brings us to the need to intensify measures to prevent and combat terrorism. UNODC has become a strategic and necessary partner in supporting national institutions, especially those of the administration of justice and police in Mozambique.

- Dr. Octávio Zilo

Chief Public Prosecutor for the province of Cabo Delgado

What we do

UNODC Mozambique has formed strong partnerships with a variety of institutions working on counter-terrorism, such as the Office of the Attorney General, the National Criminal Investigation Service, the Police of the Republic of Mozambique, the Mozambican Defence Armed Forces, the National Penitentiary Service and specialized official structures, namely the Office on Combating Transnational Organized Crime and the Financial Intelligence Unit. Through this engagement, UNODC facilitates and promotes sustainable and human-rights abiding counter-terrorism action and fosters greater inter-agency cooperation between stakeholders.

UNODC adopts a comprehensive approach to combatting the threat of terrorism and preventing violent extremism through:

Delivering legislative expertise with the Mozambican Government in its efforts to review the country’s legal framework on terrorism.
Providing specialized forensic equipment.
Organizing trainings on criminal case management cases for effective prosecution, in line with human rights standards.
Facilitating workshops on the collection, management and preservation of forensic evidence.

Convening of roundtables on de-radicalization and the prevention of violent extremism.
Trainings to develop inter-agency coordination mechanisms between national stakeholders engaged in counter-terrorism.
Implementing mentoring programmes to enhance relevant authorities’ capacity in preventing the financing of terrorism.
Organizing regional cooperation events with criminal justice institutions and law enforcement agencies of other Member States in the region and beyond.

United Nations

UNODC ROSAF

Programme Office in Mozambique

Terrorism and Prevention of Violent Extremism

Background

What we do

Impact in numbers

Highlights

Bridging the gap between the criminal justice system and the private sector in counterterrorism

Regional workshop on strengthening counter-terrorism legislation in Southern Africa

Multimedia