SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Trans-Sahara Counter-
terrorism Partnership Program Act of 2021’’. 
SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 
It is the sense of Congress that— 
(1) terrorist and violent extremist organiza-
tions, such as Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, 
Boko Haram, the Islamic State of West Africa, and 
other affiliated groups, have killed tens of thousands 
of innocent civilians, displaced populations, desta-
bilized local and national governments, and caused 
mass human suffering in the affected communities; 
(2) poor governance, political and economic 
marginalization, and lack of accountability for 
human rights abuses by security forces are drivers 
of extremism; 
(3) it is in the national security interest of the 
United States to combat the spread of terrorism and 
violent extremism and build the capacity of partner 
countries to combat these threats in Africa; 
(4) terrorist and violent extremist organizations 
exploit vulnerable and marginalized communities 
suffering from poverty, lack of economic opportunity 
(particularly among youth populations), corruption, 
and weak governance; and
(5) a comprehensive, coordinated interagency 
approach is needed to develop an effective strategy 
to address the security challenges in the Sahel- 
Maghreb, appropriately allocate resources, de-con-
flict programs, and maximize the effectiveness of 
United States defense, diplomatic, and development 
capabilities. 
SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY. 
It is the policy of the United States to assist coun-
tries in North and West Africa, and other allies and part-
ners active in those regions, in combating terrorism and 
violent extremism through a coordinated interagency ap-
proach with a consistent strategy that appropriately bal-
ances security activities with diplomatic and development 
efforts to address the political, socioeconomic, governance, 
and development challenges in North and West Africa that 
contribute to terrorism and violent extremism. 
SEC. 4. TRANS-SAHARA COUNTERTERRORISM PARTNER-
SHIP PROGRAM. 
(a) TRANS-SAHARA COUNTERTERRORISM PARTNER-
SHIP PROGRAM.— 
(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary of State, 
in consultation with the Secretary of Defense and 
the Administrator of the United States Agency for 
International Development, shall establish a partner-
ship program, to be known as the ‘‘Trans-Sahara 
Counterterrorism Partnership (TSCTP) Program’’ 
to coordinate all programs, projects, and activities of 
the United States Government in countries in North 
and West Africa that are conducted for any of the 
following purposes: 
(A) To improve governance and the capac-
ities of countries in North and West Africa to 
deliver basic services, particularly with at-risk 
communities, as a means of countering ter-
rorism and violent extremism by enhancing 
state legitimacy and authority and countering 
corruption. 
(B) To address the factors that make peo-
ple and communities vulnerable to recruitment 
by terrorist and violent extremist organizations, 
including economic vulnerability and mistrust of 
government and government security forces, 
through activities such as— 
(i) supporting strategies that increase 
youth employment opportunities; 
(ii) promoting girls’ education and 
women’s political participation; 
(iii) strengthening local governance 
and civil society capacity;
(iv) 
improving 
government 
trans-
parency and accountability; 
(v) fighting corruption; 
(vi) improving access to economic op-
portunities; and 
(vii) other development activities nec-
essary to support community resilience. 
(C) To strengthen the rule of law in such 
countries, including by enhancing the capability 
of the judicial institutions to independently, 
transparently, and credibly deter, investigate, 
and prosecute acts of terrorism and violent ex-
tremism. 
(D) To improve the ability of military and 
law enforcement entities in partner countries to 
detect, disrupt, respond to, and prosecute vio-
lent extremist and terrorist activity while re-
specting human rights, and to cooperate with 
the United States and other partner countries 
on counterterrorism and counter-extremism ef-
forts. 
(E) To enhance the border security capac-
ity of partner countries, including the ability to 
monitor, detain, and interdict terrorists.
(F) To identify, monitor, disrupt, and 
counter the human capital and financing pipe-
lines of terrorism. 
(G) To support the free expression and op-
erations of independent, local-language media, 
particularly in rural areas, while countering the 
media operations and recruitment propaganda 
of terrorist and violent extremist organizations. 
(2) ASSISTANCE FRAMEWORK.—Activities car-
ried out under the TSCTP Program shall— 
(A) be carried out in countries where the 
Secretary of State, in consultation with the Sec-
retary of Defense and the Administrator of the 
United States Agency for International Devel-
opment, determines that there is an adequate 
level of partner country commitment, and has 
considered partner country needs, absorptive 
capacity, sustainment capacity, and efforts of 
other donors in the sector; 
(B) have clearly defined outcomes; 
(C) be closely coordinated among United 
States diplomatic and development missions, 
United States Africa Command, and relevant 
participating departments and agencies;
(D) have specific plans with robust indica-
tors to regularly monitor and evaluate outcomes 
and impact; 
(E) complement and enhance efforts to 
promote democratic governance, the rule of law, 
human rights, and economic growth; 
(F) in the case of train and equip pro-
grams, complement longer-term security sector 
institution-building; and 
(G) have mechanisms in place to track re-
sources and routinely monitor and evaluate the 
efficacy of relevant programs. 
(3) CONSULTATION.—In coordinating activities 
through the TSCTP Program, the Secretary of 
State shall also establish a coordination mechanism 
that ensures periodic consultation with, as appro-
priate, the Director of National Intelligence, the Sec-
retary of the Treasury, the Attorney General, the 
Chief Executive Officer of the United States Agency 
for Global Media (formerly known as the Broad-
casting Board of Governors), and the heads of other 
relevant Federal departments and agencies, as deter-
mined by the President. 
(4) CONGRESSIONAL NOTIFICATION.—Not later 
than 15 days before obligating amounts for an activ-