Nasser Bourita, Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans Living Abroad, affirmed on Tuesday, at the opening of the International Conference on African Victims of Terrorism, that this conference aspires to develop common goals and a common path for African action in this regard, which translates into concrete initiatives to support victims of terrorism and strengthen their resilience.

In this context, during the opening of the conference hosted by the Kingdom with the support of the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism, under the slogan “Standing with African victims of terrorism… through justice, recovery and resilience,” and which witnessed the adoption of the “Rabat Declaration in support of African victims of terrorism,” Bourita presented “proposals for some practical paths that Morocco considers essential to achieving an approach to achieving these goals.”

At the forefront of these proposals, the Minister, in the presence of the Acting Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations for Counter-Terrorism, Alexander Ozef, and African and foreign ministers, mentioned restoring dignity to victims and survivors by listening to their voices and testimonies; “the testimonies of victims are a cognitive, human and political material that should be taken into account,” as well as “a comprehensive approach to psychological, social and economic support that takes into account their need for long-term psychological accompaniment and mechanisms for social and professional integration.”

shared vision

The second proposal, according to Bourita, is to “build a common African vision that makes victims the focus of policies, through an approach that makes them active in combating terrorism and violent extremism, as well as investing in the diversity of African experiences to develop a clearer understanding of the stories of victims and survivors.”

The same government official, while reviewing the third proposal, called for “launching a digital platform to support and integrate victims of terrorism,” stressing that “this initiative would enhance the shared African asset and allow for the sharing of experiences between African countries and institutions, and would also constitute a practical reference for policymakers and decision-makers.”

The Kingdom of Morocco, through its Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans Living Abroad, called for “supporting African initiatives in the field of assisting victims and financing innovative mechanisms, including digital platforms.”

Bourita explained that the conference, which is being hosted by Morocco, “comes just three months after the ministerial meeting of the Group of Friends of Victims of Terrorism held in New York under the joint chairmanship of Spain and Iraq,” highlighting that “in Rabat, through this conference, we are giving this issue its African dimension, and making the victims the focus of discussion and a pillar of a new African vision for combating terrorism.”

Bourita stressed that “organizing this conference is not an isolated event, but rather a natural extension of the Kingdom’s well-established strategic choices in its foreign policy,” under the leadership of King Mohammed VI, who affirmed that Africa is more than just a geographical affiliation and historical connection for the Kingdom; it is a sincere feeling of love and appreciation, deep-rooted human and historical ties, and tangible solidarity.

In this regard, the same government official stated that, in embodiment of this vision, this conference comes as a practical translation of the Kingdom’s choice of African solidarity.

Bourita stressed that the issue of combating terrorism is more than just numbers or statistics; “When we talk about terrorism, we are not just talking about a security crisis, but a comprehensive issue that affects souls and memory.”

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans Living Abroad added that terrorism “is not just a passing event; rather, it is tearing apart the social fabric of local economies and a systematic attempt to sow terror and despair.”

Nasser Bourita cited a number of reports “that confirm that we are facing a complex threat targeting individuals and groups,” explaining that “Africa has become the most affected; the west of the continent alone witnessed around 450 terrorist attacks in 2025, while the Sahel region has become a major hotspot in terms of the number of attacks and victims.”

According to the aforementioned government official, the Kingdom refuses to “view Africa from the perspective of fragility; it is a continent of resilience, social solidarity, and the ability to rise up.”

The same spokesperson added that “the continent has an opportunity to move from simply acknowledging the victims to expanding their presence in public policies and strengthening self-assessment mechanisms to measure the extent to which they are being listened to.”

Bourita pointed out that, in accordance with this vision, the Kingdom, within the framework of a comprehensive strategy to combat terrorism and extremism, adopted a three-dimensional approach: the security dimension through vigilance and dismantling terrorist cells, the developmental dimension through human development programs, and the intellectual dimension through reforming the religious field, spreading the values of moderation and centrism, and training imams.