CTED co-organized an Expert Group Meeting (EGM) with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and in collaboration with the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) on Strengthening National Capacities for Detecting and Disrupting the Use of Information and Communication Technology for Terrorist Purposes. The EGM took place in from 26 to 29 August in Nairobi, Kenya, and focused on detecting and disrupting the terrorist activities of Al-Shabaab both online and offline.
The meetings brought together law enforcement and criminal justice officials from Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, and Uganda with experts from the United Nations and other international and regional organizations, as well as relevant regional and local stakeholders from the private technological sector, civil society, and academia, to discuss tools, methods and current capabilities to identify and counter the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) ¨C including the Internet, social media platforms, and video games ¨C for terrorist and violent extremist purposes by Al-Shabaab and other terrorist groups operating in Somalia and the East Africa region. The meeting was conducted as part of a larger project funded by the Government of the People¡¯s Republic of China through the United Nations Peace and Development Trust Fund (UNPDF) and in alignment with Security Council resolution 2713 (2023).
Participants assessed the evolving threat environment in Somalia and Eastern Africa and discussed how Al-Shabaab and associated terrorist groups use ICT not only as communication tools, but as enablers of financing, intimidation and cross-border operations. Emerging technologies were viewed as adding new layers of complexity to this already dynamic landscape. Participants flagged early signs of extremist use of AI-generated audio, video and images designed to manipulate perceptions or demoralize communities, underscoring that generative tools may soon amplify existing threats if societal resilience and digital/AI literacy measures are not strengthened. Participants also noted the growing use of gaming ecosystems for radicalization and recruitment to terrorism and the use of Darkweb marketplaces for the sale and procurement of weapons and other terrorist purposes. Experts then discussed the various operational practices being deployed to prevent and counter the misuse ICTs for terrorist purposes in general, and against Al-Shabaab in specific.
Further discussion was held around national and regional legal and policy frameworks. Many were seen as outdated, while others were assessed as being overly broad and difficult to implement without raising concerns around lack of compliance with human rights laws. Participants called for clearer, more proportionate frameworks to underpin their existing and future operational work. Participants repeatedly stressed that human rights compliance is not a burden but a capability multiplier. Proportionality and due process were emphasized as vital to maintaining public trust and ensuring that prosecutions succeed in court.
Experts also highlighted the indispensable need for meaningful engagement with the private sector and civil society. Structured cooperation, particularly with smaller platforms and in local languages, was identified as a pressing need. Experts called for greater connection with and responsiveness from major platforms and service providers to help tackle terrorist content online. Civil society representatives stressed that safe civic space, trusted engagement with communities and the inclusion of journalists are essential enablers of effective law enforcement and prevention online.
Participants underlined that without adequate resources and operational capacities, even the best counter-terrorism strategies and frameworks risk falling short. Strengthening skills across the criminal justice chain, reinforcing institutional systems, and boosting societal resilience against terrorist messaging were all highlighted as critical needs. The meeting closed by identifying ways forward. Proposed steps spanned Somalia-focused outputs, cross-border capacity development, regional cooperation, deeper engagement with the private sector, and embedding safeguards into governance.
The meeting served as a building block for further action and will result in a report providing guidance on legal, policy and operational strategies to counter the use of ICT for terrorist purposes by Al-Shabaab and other designated groups in Somalia and eastern Africa. In accordance with its mandate to facilitate the delivery of technical assistance, CTED will continue to collaborate with UNODC and UNOCT, including the UNODC Regional Office for Eastern Africa (ROEA) and the UNOCT Programme Office in Nairobi, as well as the participating Member States and other partner entities to translate the many EGM outcomes into implementable plans for strategic and structured technical assistance and capacity building to effectively detect and disrupt the misuse of ICT for terrorist purposes by Al-Shabaab and other terrorist groups operating in the East Africa region.