CT JUST reinforces the role of women in counter-terrorism in the Gulf of Guinea and West Africa

Dakar hosted the third activity focused on strengthening the role of women in counter-terrorism and the management of Foreign Terrorist Fighters (FTC), as part of the European programme CT JUST. This edition focused on the new challenges of violent extremism in the Gulf of Guinea and West Africa. Thirty women representatives of police and security forces from Benin, Ghana, Mauritania, Togo, Nigeria and Côte d’Ivoire.

The event, titled ‘Research Dossiers on Women Foreign Terrorist Combatants: The Role of Women in Security Agencies and the Fight against Terrorism in West Africa’, was attended by the representative of the Delegation of the European Union and the FPI (Foreign Policy Instruments) in Senegal, Christophe Casas. In his speech, he stressed the importance of an inclusive and gender-sensitive approach to counter-terrorism. He also underlined the active role of women in terrorist dynamics, both as victims and as recruiters, propagandists and combatants.

Radicalisation in women

Terrorist organisations manipulate gender roles to recruit women, promoting jihad as a form of empowerment. Examples such as the Al-Khansaa Brigade and Boko Haram’s use of women as suicide bombers are evidence of the growing role of women in extremist networks. In this context, Casas insisted on the need to strengthen intelligence on female radicalisation, develop specific counter-narratives and boost the participation of women in intelligence and counterterrorism operations.

The event was attended by experts from EUROPOL, the National Police and the International University of Rabat, including the doctor and political scientist Beatriz Mesa García, who provided an academic perspective on the radicalisation of women and the spread of violent extremism in the region. Mesa stressed the need for an evidence-based approach and field experience to design more effective prevention and response strategies.

Training activities

In line with the UN Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Agenda and the European Union’s policy on foreign fighters, the activity has been structured around three main pillars:

• – Specialised training, with an analysis of the dynamics of radicalisation and recruitment of women, including the role of social networks in these processes.
• – Exchange of good practices. In this section, the programmes of Senegal and Benin have been highlighted as examples of inclusive strategies for the rehabilitation of women returning from conflict zones.
• – Regional cooperation, with a focus on the creation of synergies between security forces to strengthen the joint response to the spread of terrorism.

In the opening session, the magistrate and director of the CT JUST project, Judge José María Fernández Villalobos, stressed the importance of the role of women in the fight against terrorism from a strategic perspective, and the need for their professional recognition in the field of security forces in order to ensure effective responses.