New terrorism unit due under DIS

Botswana is boalstering its counter-terrorism
Botswana is boalstering its counter-terrorism

Government is planning a raft of amendments to the three-year-old Counter-Terrorism Act (CTA), which will introduce fines of P5 million for various offences.

Also, the amendments will see a new unit under the Directorate of Intelligence and Security (DIS) being introduced. The CTA was first passed in August 2014, but the Ministry for Presidential Affairs, Governance and Public Administration already feels amendments are necessary. The minister, Eric Molale, in gazetting the amendments, said while the current Act provides for measures to prevent and combat acts of terrorism including financing of terrorism, a mutual evaluation assessment by the East and Southern Africa Anti-Money Laundering Group found deficiencies.

The amendments seek to establish a Counter-Terrorism Fusion Centre (CTFC) under the DIS, which will be staffed by security personnel seconded from various security organs such as the Botswana Defence Force and the police.

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