COUNTER-TERRORISM SYLLABUS VALIDATION WORKSHOP

This important event follows the collaborative efforts made in September last year, when a team of experts from the African Union and the Eastern Africa Standby Force (EASF) Member States came together to develop a draft regional counter-terrorism training syllabus. Their objective was to create a unified, comprehensive guide for training security forces across the region to effectively respond to the evolving threats posed by terrorism and asymmetric warfare.

During that initial phase, thematic areas were identified and content developed to address the contemporary challenges unique to our region. The outcome was a detailed draft syllabus designed to strengthen the capacity of our security forces and peace support operations.

This week’s validation workshop brings together key stakeholders to critically review, refine, and validate the syllabus — ensuring it is both relevant and applicable to the needs of the EASF region. An additional focus of the workshop is to develop exercise papers, which were not completed during the drafting phase, thereby finalizing the syllabus and making it fully operational for training purposes.

The workshop was officially opened by Brigadier Stephen Tumwesigye Kashure, Joint Chief of Staff of the Eastern Africa Standby Force, who emphasized the urgency of this initiative by stating: "As terrorist threats continue to evolve — with perpetrators exploiting new technologies and systemic vulnerabilities — it remains a persistent challenge for Member States to respond effectively. This workshop is a vital step in strengthening our collective capacity to prevent, counter, and ultimately defeat terrorism and violent extremism in the region."

This workshop represents a significant stride toward enhanced regional cooperation and preparedness in the face of shared security threats.