Nuclear mattersNNSA, AFRICOM in WMD workshop in East Africa

The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) and the U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) concluded a week-long border security workshop in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, as part of a joint effort to enhance security at ports and borders in the region.

The workshop brought together participants from seven east African countries, as well as representatives from South Africa, international organizations, NNSA, and other U.S. government agencies to discuss perspectives and best practices on nonproliferation and security. Participants explored ways to strengthen efforts to prevent the smuggling of nuclear materials and other commodities related to the manufacture of weapons of mass destruction (WMD).

NNSA says that the workshop was the first of its kind conducted in east Africa and was jointly sponsored by NNSA and AFRICOM. The East African Border Security Workshop follows a workshop held earlier this year in west Africa, organized by NNSA and the U.S. Department of Defense’s Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA).

In Dar es Salaam, customs, defense, police, and law enforcement experts and officials from Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Ethiopia, and Djibouti joined with experts from NNSA, AFRICOM, the U.S. Departments of Defense, Homeland Security and State, the World Customs Organization, the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Africa, the UN Security Council 1540 Committee, and the Stimson Center to discuss border protection strategies for the region.

NNSA says the week-long workshop provided a forum for partners to share best practices, establish regional perspectives on border security, and participate in training courses focused on WMD commodity identification, radiological detection, and systems analysis.