2nd December 2015, Djibouti- The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) Security Sector Program (SSP) organized a one day workshop to validate the “Border Security and Management on the Djibouti-Somaliland Border Research”.

Effective border management practices are critical in countering terrorism, insurgencies and other forms of trans-national organized crimes. It is from this background that the IGAD Security Sector Program (IGAD SSP) commissioned a number of researches and field surveys to determine the effectiveness of the policies, laws, procedures and practices to effectively stop the movement of terrorists and other trans-border criminals across borders. One such research is the Djibouti- Somaliland border security and managements, which was undertaken between the months September and November 2014.

Djibouti Officials from institutions such as Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Immigration, Law enforcement, military, intelligence, customs, prosecutors and academicians were in attendance.

The aim of the workshop is for state and non-state actors in Djibouti to receive the findings of the research from the researchers, and thereafter make a critical analysis of the findings with an aim to enrich the report and offer practical and effective border security management frameworks and mechanisms.

The workshop deliberated on the following general recommendations:

  1. Promoting and strengthening border control agencies cooperation and coordination such as organizational and operational cooperation and cross border cooperation,
  2. Human and institutional capacity building on intelligence collection; analysis; and sharing, basic and advance integrated border management training, proper staffing and community engagement,
  3. Border control infrastructural development on communication, screening, surveillance, 
  4. Harmonization of national laws, strategies, policies and procedures. 
  5. Promoting bilateral agreement on border delimitation and demarcation.

(END)