Rome: The Institute joins the NATO Conference on Africa’s security challenges

09/05/2018

On 8-9 May 2018, the Siracusa International Institute for Criminal Justice and Human Rights participated in the conference organised by the NATO Defence College Foundation on “Africa in action: tailoring security to real needs and threats”. Mr. Filippo Musca, Deputy Director General and Mr Tobias Freeman, Senior Legal Officer, attended the initiative in Rome. The three working sessions of the conference mainly focused on existing threats versus regional and international initiatives, crisis management and the main challenges for enhancing regional co-operation.

At the conference, welcome remarks were given by Mr. Alessandro Minuto-Rizzo, President of the NATO Defence College Foundation, Mr. Thierry Tardy, Director of the Research Division at the NATO Defence College and Mr. Giuseppe Mistretta, Director for African Countries at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Italian Republic. Opening remarks at the conference were made by Ms. Hafida Benchehida, Senator of the Republic of Algeria.

Several representatives of African institutions intervened at the initiative, including Mr. Mahmoud Gebril, Former Prime Minister of the State of Libya, Mr. Mamadou Diallo Bathia, Minister of Defence of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania and Mr. Alpha Condè, President of Guinea and Former Chairperson of the African Union.

The considerable importance of the initiative is stressed by Mr. Filippo Musca: “it is crucial for the Siracusa International Institute to actively participate in initiatives on phenomena such as terrorism, organized crime and illegal trafficking in Africa“. The Rule of Law, underlines Mr. Musca “plays a crucial role to understand the root causes of these phenomena, and facing these challenges in Africa is an ever more fundamental international priority”.