21 October 2025
Terrorist activity continues to pose difficult and deadly challenges in West Africa. The past year has seen a flurry of attacks involving improvised explosive devices (IED), leading to mass casualties, the dissolution of communities, and increasingly vulnerable populations. This is especially true in border areas where governance is challenged due to the expanding influence of terrorist actors.
To prioritize the countering and acquisition of improvised explosive devices (C-IED) in the region, the West Africa Capacity-Building Working Group – co-chaired by Algeria and Germany, with the support of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime as implementing partner – convened a side event on the margins of the 25th Coordinating Committee Meeting. Gathering governments, senior counterterrorism experts, West African state representatives, and other organizations, the side event provided updates and achievements of the Working Group’s C-IED workstream.
The side event also explored ways to strengthen and harmonize ongoing C-IED initiatives for greater impact. Discussions highlighted potential synergies and opportunities for collaboration between GCTF Members and relevant organizations to optimize the implementation of the GCTF Lomé Recommendations. Under the Algeria-Germany mandate, the Working Group aims to continue identifying best practices and support capacity-building efforts to further C-IED efforts in the region.