Algiers Counterterrorism Conference: The Payment of Ransoms Must Be Incriminated

The new authority in Libya is called to work on controlling borders with its neighbours to anticipate arms trafficking operations, Delegate Minister for Maghreb and African Affairs, Abdelkader Messahel, said Thursday, on the occasion of the wrap up in Algiers the international conference on counterterrorism.

Mr Messahel told a press conference, he held jointly with Malian and Nigerian foreign ministers, that “The Sahel countries, namely Algeria, Mali, Niger and Mauritania, and their partners have agreed that countering arm trafficking is also a task that should be assigned to the new authority in Libya, and we are optimistic that such an issue would be among its priorities.”

As for the whether the conference discussed the ban of the payment of ransoms to terror groups to release hostages, Mr Messahel said “Well, there are many financing resources to terrorists, including abductions, and money supplied by arm and narcotic traffickers,” stressing that “the ban of the payment of ransoms could only be reached by the implementation of UN resolutions related to that issue.”

Yet, Nigerian Foreign Minister, Mohamed Mazoum, said it is not about banning the payment of ransoms, but rather incriminating such a conduct, noting that “We cannot ban Western countries from paying ransoms to terror groups to free their nationals,” in reference to France and Spain. Mr Mazoum implicitly indicated that Niger is a bit embarrassed, as from one part it is called to implement UN Resolutions, and from the other part it endures pressure by Western countries, of which nationals are abducted, to cooperate with them to free them, even through paying ransoms.