By Abubakarr Bah
Sierra Leone’s Deputy Minister of Defense, Colonel (Retired) Muana Brima Massaquoi, has led a two-man delegation to Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, to attend the Second Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition (IMCTC), Defense Ministers’ Council (DMC) Meeting held on Saturday, 3rd February, 2024.
During the DMC meeting on the theme “Combating Terrorism: A shared Responsibility”, delegates of Member States expressed their gratitude for the IMCTC’s initiative to request member countries to present project proposals geared towards maintaining stability in their respective countries by guaranteeing the safety of their citizens.
His Royal Highness Prince Khalid bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Defense and Chairman of IMCTC Defense Ministers Council, announced the Kingdom’s support for IMCTC’s Initiatives Fund of 100 million Riyals, which is approximately 26 Million US Dollars. This is in addition to the support by the Kingdom and its fellow Member States for 46 training programs across counterterrorism domains.
Member States emphasized the value of concerted actions to combat terrorism and extremism in all shapes or forms and reaffirmed their commitment to enhancing coordination, cooperation, and collective efforts to reduce the threats of terrorism.
The delegates agreed to formulate strategies and plans aligned with the organization’s military, communications, counterterrorism financing, and ideology domains. A decision was also reached to establish the IMCTC’s Initiatives Fund, which will be used to receive financial contributions from member countries, supporting nations and pertinent international organizations.
They recognised the significance of launching these initiatives to combat terrorism across various domains. The Council of IMCTC Defense Ministers acknowledged the countries that contributed to the Initiative’s Fund and expressed their profound gratitude to Saudi Arabia for hosting the IMCTC meeting and for the Kingdom’s efforts in establishing the IMCTC, which has been in operation since 2016.
The Defense Minister and Chairman of the IMCTC Council of Ministers, His Royal Highness, Crown Prince Khalid bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, extended invitations to 32 accredited Member States of the coalition to attend this year’s IMCTC Defense Ministers’ Council Meeting.
Sierra Leone’s Deputy Minister of Defense was accompanied by Colonel Alimamy Taylor-Kamara, the Director of Defense Information and Communication, Ministry of Defense.
