Morocco Advances Sahel Atlantic Initiative at UNGA, Prepares Landmark Terrorism Victims Conference
Morocco’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nasser Bourita, held a meeting in New York on Wednesday with his counterparts from Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, and Chad to review progress on the implementation of King Mohammed VI’s initiative to grant Sahel states access to the Atlantic Ocean.
The meeting, held on the sidelines of the 80th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA), brought together Burkina Faso’s Karamoko Jean-Marie Traoré, Mali’s Abdoulaye Diop, Niger’s Bakary Yaou Sangaré, and Chad’s Abdoulaye Sabre Fadoul.
The ministers recalled the significance of the historic audience granted by King Mohammed VI on April 28 to the foreign ministers of the Sahel Alliance member states.
That meeting reaffirmed the countries’ full endorsement of the Royal Initiative and their commitment to fast-tracking its implementation.
First unveiled by King Mohammed VI during his Green March address on November 6, 2023, the initiative aims to provide landlocked Sahel countries with direct access to the Atlantic, offering a new horizon for integration and development.
In New York, the African ministers welcomed the wide regional, continental, and international support the initiative has garnered. They expressed their readiness to begin the progressive implementation of projects under this framework, building on the work already conducted by the national task forces of Morocco, Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, and Chad.
These task forces are expected to convene in the near future for technical meetings to advance specific projects.
The follow-up meeting, according to participants, reflects a shared political will and collective ambition to establish an integrated space for co-development, shared prosperity, and regional influence to benefit the populations of the Sahel.
During the talks, ministers from the Sahel Alliance also presented updates on the institutional and operational progress of their confederation, which brings together Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger as a framework for integration and coordination.
As part of Morocco’s broader diplomatic engagement in New York, Bourita also announced that Rabat will host the first-ever Conference on Victims of Terrorism in Africa on December 2-3.
Organized by Morocco with the support of the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT), the event aims to draw international attention to the plight of African victims, provide them with a platform to share their testimonies, identify their urgent needs, and exchange best practices for support and rehabilitation.
Speaking at the 2025 Ministerial Meeting of the Group of Friends of Victims of Terrorism, co-organized by UNOCT, Iraq, and Spain, Bourita said the Rabat conference “will mark a turning point in the international approach to supporting victims on the continent.” He stressed that African victims of terrorism, when supported and empowered, can become powerful voices against radicalization and extremism.
The minister reaffirmed Morocco’s commitment to promoting the rights and protection of victims, particularly in Africa, where “nearly 60% of the world’s victims are recorded.” He commended the efforts of the Group of Friends of Victims of Terrorism, which since 2019 “has advanced the international agenda in favor of victims and strengthened the implementation of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy.”
Bourita noted that “behind every life lost to terrorism are families and entire communities left scarred by long-term trauma and material hardship.” He pointed to the importance of giving victims a voice and fostering international solidarity, citing as examples the Congress of Vitoria in Spain and the launch of the “Victims of Terrorism Associations Network” (VoTAN) in April 2025.
Africa, he said, “pays a heavy price” with the rising number of lives lost to terrorist attacks. He called for institutionalized mechanisms tailored specifically to African realities to meet the concrete needs of victims and their communities.
Bourita concluded by reiterating Morocco’s conviction that “peaceful communities mean a peaceful continent,” urging that solidarity must be translated into concrete action for the benefit of terrorism victims.
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