ShareKUWAIT: Assistant Foreign Minister for Development and International Cooperation, Ambassador Hamad Al-Mashaan, stated that Kuwait has been at the forefront of global efforts to defeat terrorism and radical groups, playing a leading role at both regional and international levels. His remarks came during a workshop hosted by Kuwait on Tuesday for the East Africa Working Group (EAWG), a part of the Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF) co-chaired by Kuwait and Kenya as part of their membership in the forum, which they joined in September 2023.
Ambassador Al-Mashaan expressed Kuwait’s commitment to advancing its role by effectively contributing to the strategic vision of the Global Counterterrorism Forum for the upcoming decade (2021-2031), aimed at reducing terrorist recruitment and enhancing capabilities through long-term strategic engagements. Seeking to build on the solid foundation established by the co-chairs, the Arab Republic of Egypt and the European Union, the ambassador outlined several key areas of focus, including addressing domestic extremism, managing the return of foreign fighters, preventing and countering violent extremism at both national and regional levels, and integrating a gender-based approach into counter-extremism initiatives.
Transferring over 1,200 terrorists
He also mentioned the need to improve strategic communications to effectively counter extremist narratives, address the connections between organized crime and radical groups, prevent violent extremism in prisons, and enhance community dialogue. Reflecting on previous achievements, the ambassador highlighted Kuwait’s past successful efforts in recent years to foster bilateral cooperation with friendly countries to counter radicalism, improve community safety and strengthen institutions, particularly emphasizing its work in addressing the issue of foreign terrorist fighters.
Since 2018, he mentioned that Kuwait has played a critical role in the safe transfer of over 1,200 foreign terrorist fighters and their families from camps in Syria and Iraq back to their countries of origin, using Kuwait’s airbases as part of the process. As part of its previous initiatives, he added that Kuwait has co-chaired, alongside the Republic of Turkey and the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the Working Group on Foreign Terrorist Fighter (FTFS) under the Global Coalition to defeat ISIS, which has contributed to creating favorable conditions for containing, rehabilitating, and reintegrating these fighters and their families into their communities.
11 strategic-level workshops
Speaking about the workshop which focuses on Disengagement, Deradicalization, Rehabilitation, and Reintegration (DDRR) of individuals associated with terrorist groups, Kibiego Rotich Kigen, a representative from the National Counter Terrorism Centre in Kenya, highlighted the significance of this event as the first in a series of 11 strategic-level workshops planned by the East Africa Working Group over the next two years.
He noted that these workshops aim to deliver long-term strategies that foster synergy, cooperation, and collaborative action between the Global Counterterrorism Forum and regional partners in countering terrorism. The workshops, he said, will be guided by five priority areas: preventing and countering violent extremism, enhancing capacity for investigation and prosecution, improving strategic communication, effectively disrupting terrorist networks, and facilitating disengagement, deradicalization, rehabilitation, and reintegration.
Kigen further highlighted that the East Africa region has developed innovative, localized solutions that are African-led and inspired to address the challenges posed by radicalized individuals wishing to disengage from violent extremism. He remarked, “The Global Counterterrorism Forum has also evolved a comprehensive set of good practices based on global experiences. This workshop therefore provides us with an opportunity for dialogue, the co-development of priorities, and the integration of efforts to tackle a shared challenge.”
Kuwait’s leadership in DDRR Initiatives
On a side interview with the press, Zeeshan Amin, Head of the United Nations Office of Counterterrorism in Baghdad, commended Kuwait’s leadership on a global level regarding DDRR. “Kuwait has been a leader in combating terrorism around the world. In many ways, there have been instances of terrorism and violent extremism in the broader region, as well as in many other parts of the world. It’s countries like Kuwait that demonstrate how nations should be able to prevent and effectively tackle this challenge,” he said.
Amin expressed optimism about collaborative efforts, saying, “We look forward to working together to understand some of the good practices that have been put in place to take this conversation forward.” He highlighted the significance of sharing and understanding practices related to DDRR of individuals affected by terrorism. Additionally, he noted the ongoing partnership with the governments of Kuwait and Kenya as implementing partners for the Global Counter-Terrorism Forum East Africa Working Group, for which Kuwait and Kenya serve as co-chairs. “We hope to organize more conferences and capacity-building training events that will help countries in the East African region understand effective practices related to DDRR,” Amin concluded.
