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Intelligence sharing key to fighting regional conflicts, terrorism - NIS boss Noordin

The Head of Kenya's National Intelligence Service (NIS), Noordin Haji during the beginning of the Mashariki Cooperation meeting in Mombasa on January 28, 2024.

By Eastleigh Voice Reporter | Monday, January 29, 2024

The NIS boss called on his fellow counterparts in the region to strengthen the capacity of officers in digital skills to counter other forms of insecurity.

National Intelligence Service (NIS) chief Noordin Haji has called for increased collaboration and sharing of intelligence among Eastern Africa member states region following increased armed conflict and terrorism in the region.

Speaking while opening the Heads of Intelligence and Security Services meeting dubbed Mashariki Cooperation in Mombasa on Sunday, Noordin said the forum would address the common threats and define a framework for sharing knowledge and information among intelligence bureaus.

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“As a region, we have all borne the brunt of insecurity when our neighbours are troubled. Trouble anywhere in our region is trouble for everyone. That is why we must work together to address security threats," he said.

The meeting saw a gathering of 15 member states, including Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Somalia, Ethiopia, Burundi, Rwanda, Eritrea, Mozambique, Comoros, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Malawi, South Sudan, and the Seychelles.

The meeting is happening about four years after Africa missed the target of 'silencing guns by 2020', a strategy aimed at spurring development.

Armed conflicts

The region is grappling with armed conflicts that are fueled by the illegal trade in weapons across the borders.

Noordin noted that besides transnational organised crimes, the other threats include human trafficking, especially children, drugs, counterfeit goods, corruption, money laundering, wildlife trophies, terrorism, and religious extremism are taking root as radicalisation cells also grow.

Noting the growing use of technology to commit crimes, the NIS boss called on his fellow counterparts in the region to strengthen the capacity of officers in digital skills to counter other forms of insecurity that have gone hi-tech and become more complicated.

He also urged the recruited experts in specialised and emerging areas of technology to be ahead of the game.

“Digital spaces have become playgrounds for recruitment and radicalisation, money laundering, and trap points for homicides and other cybercrime," Noordin said.

He said that with advancing technology, intelligence officers must be armed with highly innovative infrastructure for tracing, tracking, and monitoring potential threats for early elimination and prevention.

Noordin further called on NIS officers to work towards gaining public trust.

"This calls for a human-rights-based approach to investigations. This will instill and sustain public confidence in the National Intelligence Service as a public-interest-driven state organ,” he said.