Terrorism, violent extremism, and radicalisation in prisons are increasing concerns to Southern African Development Community (SADC) Member States, the continent, and the international community.This threat requires that prison administrations ensure that there are measures to facilitate secure and safe custody of violent extremist prisoners as well as interventions to prevent radicalisation within prison systems, which include disengagement of prisoners from future violence, and instituting effective mechanisms to rehabilitate and reintegrate former inmates into the community.
There is also a great need in the SADC region to strengthen the resilience of society against terrorism, violent extremism, and radicalisation in prisons. This will ensure that the region follows international standards, including the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, also known as the Nelson Mandela Rules.
These are some of the critical issues that senior Corrections/Prisons/Penitentiary representatives from SADC Member States who attended a Regional Workshop on Preventing Radicalisation to Violent Extremism and Violence in Prisons in Johannesburg, South Africa, from 3rd - 07th April 2023, discussed during their week-long deliberations.
The objectives of the workshop were to, among others, enhance knowledge on preventing radicalisation, engagement with extremist groups, and extremist behaviour during detention and probation and to provide prison services with information on current practices and issues relevant to managing violent extremist offenders and individuals considered at risk of engaging in violent extremism in prison and probation context.
The training was also aimed at providing knowledge and expertise on conflict prevention through an understanding and explanation of the factors that cause and trigger further breeding grounds for extremist terrorism within correction/prison/penitentiary environments and to strengthen their rule of law capabilities platforms that contribute to sustainable peace, security, and stability.
In her opening address on behalf of the Chair of the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Affairs, Assistant Commissioner, Maria Nyemushii Ipinge, said that the SADC region is among the very few communities that enjoy peace and stability in Africa, if not in the world. However, it is not immune to insurgencies. As such, she said correctional/prison facilities are increasingly becoming soft targets for recruitment into extremist groups. She stated that there is therefore a need to strengthen the capacity of the sector to prevent and respond to violent extremists in prison.
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Acting Director of the Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Affairs in the SADC Secretariat, Ms. Kealeboga Moruti, highlighted that conflict prevention and peacebuilding dynamics are multi-layered and require a multi-sectoral approach to effectively address and develop sustainable solutions. She underscored the fact that corrections/prison/penitentiary service is one of the critical partners in rendering support to durable peacebuilding efforts, hence they are the target group for the training.
During the training, Member States unpacked the SADC Regional Counter Terrorism Strategy (2021-2026) which recognises that terrorism remains a global phenomenon and is one of the major threats to international peace and security, economic development, and social integration. The Strategy also stipulates the Role of Prisons in Managing and Preventing Violent Extremism, Strategies for Managing Violent Extremist Prisoners, Dynamic Security, Intelligence Gathering and Overcoming Conditioning and the role of Corrections in Peace Support Operations.
