The United Nations Programme Office for Counter-Terrorism and Training in Africa hosted the Australian Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs, the Hon Tim Watts MP, and his delegation, including the Australian Ambassador to Morocco, H.E. Mr. Michael Cutts; the Chief of Staff of the Assistant Minister, Ms. Patricia Smith; and Deputy to the Ambassador, Mr. Jake Barhonein on 6 December 2022, in Rabat, Morocco.
The Programme Office for Counter-Terrorism and Training was delivering the third and final Advanced Module of its Specialized Training on Counter-Terrorism Investigations (STOCTI), which gathered 23 students representing 6 African countries, namely Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Nigeria, and Senegal.
Mainly funded by Australia, the training programme is tailored to strengthen the technical skills of law enforcement officers to conduct counter-terrorism investigations. The Foundational Module of the training was delivered in May-June 2022 and the Intermediate Module delivered in September 2022.
The Assistant Minister had the opportunity to discuss with the trainees and hear firsthand about the importance and practicality of this training. The participants underlined the usefulness and effectiveness of this training, which allows them to develop practical and operational knowledge on counter-terrorism Investigations.