Cooperation between Italy and African countries: two advanced training courses in the Republic of Congo and Mali, organised as part of the training and assistance project financed by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, coordinated by Sant'Anna School

The Sant'Anna School, thanks to the decisive support of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, has just completed two advanced training courses aimed at magistrates from Mali (‘Investigation techniques in national and international terrorism’, in Bamako, from Monday 2 to Thursday 5 September) and from Congo-Brazzaville (‘Prevention and repression of terrorism’, in Brazzaville, from Monday 2 to Thursday 5 September). The implementation of these new courses in favour of local judicial actors is part of the project "Strengthening the judicial systems of African countries through training (2023-24)", coordinated by Andrea de Guttry, Full Professor of International Law at the Sant'Anna School, a project that has seen her engaged for years in training and assistance activities in the Sahel region. For the successful implementation of these activities, the support guaranteed by the Farnesina and the Italian Embassies on site has always been crucial.

The relevance of these initiatives was witnessed by the speeches of the Italian Ambassador to Brazzaville, Enrico Nunziata, and the Italian Ambassador to Mali, Stefano A. Dejak, who presided over the opening and closing ceremonies of the courses, alongside the Ministers of Justice of the two countries.

The high-level training course in Bamako, held in partnership with the Institut National de Formation Judiciaire ‘Maître Demba Diallo’ (INFJ) and the Malian Ministry of Justice, aimed at enhancing the skills of Malian magistrates and prosecutors in evidence-gathering investigation techniques and international judicial cooperation tools, in the context of the fight against international terrorism, strengthening counter-terrorism capabilities and providing the tools to judge terrorist organisations, in a manner consistent with international standards. The course benefited from the participation of leading Italian and African experts, including Alberto Perduca, former Public Prosecutor with extensive experience in international judicial cooperation, and Filippo Dispenza, Prefect of the Republic and currently Coordinator of the Extraordinary Government Commission of the Municipality of Caivano (Naples). The opening ceremony of the course was also attended by the Malian Minister of Justice, Mamoudou Kassogué.

"This course - stressed Mali's Justice Minister - is the fruit of a dynamic partnership between the INFJ and the Sant'Anna School, which I would like to praise for its competence and expertise in the field of counter-terrorism. The interest of this issue for our country is not lost on anyone. Mali is committed to strengthening its judicial systems to foster a multidimensional response, which, alongside military action, includes a legal response. I hope that the partnership that binds us to the Sant'Anna School for this project - concluded Mamoudou Kassogué - can be extended to other areas. This partnership represents an excellent opportunity for our judicial system to modernise and meet new contemporary challenges". 

The advanced training course in Brazzaville, which was organised in cooperation with the Congo Ministry of Justice, focused on the prevention and repression of terrorism, in order to consolidate the local magistrates' knowledge of the national and international legal framework on terrorism, the relationship between the protection of human rights and the fight against terrorism, and the mechanisms of international judicial cooperation, also through the analysis of case studies and the latest judicial practices. The course featured as lecturers Maria Giuliana Civinini, a judge with consolidated international experience and Former President of the Court of Pisa, and Giovanni Carlo Bruno, First Researcher in International Law at the CNR.

"The Sant'Anna School is proud to contribute to this important technical assistance project - comments Andrea de Guttry, director of the advanced training courses - with the aim of strengthening the skills of actors in the judicial sector. We are convinced that through cooperation and the strengthening of judicial institutions it is possible to promote the rule of law in an area that is a priority for Italian cooperation and strategic in the geopolitical balances between Europe and Africa". 

Cover photo: Andrea de Guttry.