At the UN, Morocco Announces First Conference on African Victims of Terrorism to Be Held in Rabat
Morocco’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates, Nasser Bourita, announced on Wednesday in New York that Rabat will host, on December 2–3, 2025, the first Conference on African Victims of Terrorism.
The event, organized by Morocco with the support of the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT), aims to raise international awareness about the dramatic situation of African victims, provide a platform for their testimonies, identify their priority needs, and share best practices in support and rehabilitation.
Speaking at the 2025 Ministerial Meeting of the Group of Friends of Victims of Terrorism, organized by UNOCT in cooperation with Iraq and Spain, Mr. Bourita said the Rabat conference “will mark a turning point in the international approach to supporting victims on the continent.” He stressed that if African victims of terrorism are supported and empowered, they can become powerful voices against radicalization and extremism.
The Minister reaffirmed Morocco’s commitment to promoting the rights and protection of terrorism victims, particularly in Africa, where “nearly 60 percent of global victims are recorded.”
He praised the efforts of the Group of Friends of Victims of Terrorism, which since 2019 “has helped advance the international agenda in favor of victims and strengthen the implementation of the Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy.”
Mr. Bourita underlined that “behind every life lost to terrorism, there are families and entire communities marked in the long term by psychological trauma and material hardship.”
In this regard, he recalled the importance of giving victims a voice and reinforcing international solidarity, citing the Congress of Vitoria in Spain and the launch of the Victims of Terrorism Associations Network (VoTAN) in April 2025 as key initiatives.
He further noted that Africa “is paying a heavy price,” with a rising number of people killed in terrorist attacks, and stressed the need for “institutionalized mechanisms tailored specifically to the African context, in order to address the concrete needs of victims and their communities.”
Concluding, the Minister reiterated Morocco’s conviction that “peaceful communities mean a peaceful continent,” calling for solidarity to be transformed into concrete actions in support of terrorism victims.
Editorial team/le7tv
