Terrorism is not a ‘rare occurrence’. The word ‘terrorism’ that we refer to today (which we are using regularly since September 11 attacks), refers to religiously motivated terrorism. As a matter of fact, political actions that indicted fear in the hearts of civilian populations, (the same methodology which is now practiced by nationalistic groups, revolutionaries, and many autocratic regimes), have long predated religious terrorism.
The inability to control regions and the absence of anti-terrorism tactics makes the region a perfect safe haven for revolutionary forces and transnational crime organizations.
Terrorism, particularly in the African region differs from terrorism in elsewhere. For instance, Africa’s adoption to world religion if compared to the same in the Middle East was quite peaceful and without conflict. This resulted due to the colonization of African regions in the 19th century followed by dependency on the West, which created a pro Western approach as compared to the anti Western tactics in the Middle East. If you look closely to the ideologically inspired attacks which many of us are familiar with, African terrorist attacks takes place in primarily two forms – a tactics which evolved from organised crime, and crimes against humanity, which occurs from abuse by different political regimes for years.
“Terrorism in Africa” cannot be classified as a regional security issue. The region is vulnerable to trans–border terrorism because of many fundamental reasons from “conductive conditions for radicalization” and “spread of international terrorism”, “the uncontrolled borders” and lawless areas in the region which are unprotected and out of reach from government troops, along with the lack of political will to eliminate terrorism and poor anti terrorism tactics. The inability to control regions and the absence of anti-terrorism tactics makes the region a perfect safe haven for revolutionary forces and transnational crime organizations. Furthermore, domestic terrorist groups, such as Al-Shabaab and Boko Haram, have adopted various tactics to gain support from transnational crime organizations, ousted military generals to maintain dominance and influence in their region. Therefore, the issue of growing insecurity in the region and routine failure to eliminate terrorists in their dominated zones will cost more lives if a defence mechanism is not created.
The Rise of African Terrorism
The roots of African Terrorism can be traced back to the 1884 Berlin Conference which scrambled most of the present day Africa. Eastern European nations, namely Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Russia, Spain, and Great Britain, colonized more than 90% of the continent. During the World War II, political, social and cultural problems resurfaced, and people’s pursuit of decolonisation began sowed the initial stages of “Terrorism”, which continues to exist today.
The two sides supported terrorist organizations with weapons, training and/or financial aid, which led to rapid increase in terrorism in the rest of the world.
Firstly, the marked territorial boundaries which were created by imperialist’s government don’t agree with the geographical boundaries along with the distribution of ethnic groups. Colonial power also evoked ethnic rivalry, as imperialist’s government favoured one religion over other, one tribe over other making them more superior than other. These tactics of favouritism were used by the imperialist’s government to create distrusts within the tribes and more area to conquer for the “oppressors”. On many occasions favouritism led to unequal distribution of land resources which ignited hostility and discrimination in the society.
Colonial governments were quite repressive and autocratic in nature. To gain economic benefits, policies and development, colonial powers were used on the local population. Thus what we see today is a post colonial government which not only lacks in the working ability, implementation and knowledge for a comprehensive governing approach, also faces social issues such as domestic rivalry and lack of knowledge for development. This is the reason why most of the governments are immature, corrupted, unreliable, and are not recognized as the “rightful decision makers”, in most of the regions.
During the post colonial era, terrorism was used as a medium to liberate people from autocratic regimes. People saw terrorism as a way to stand against autocratic regimes if they refused to recognize. However, it wasn’t long before Warsaw Pact states and NATO member states started competing over decolonized states in Africa and other regions. The two sides supported terrorist organizations with weapons, training and/or financial aid, which led to rapid increase in terrorism in the rest of the world.
The end of the Cold War meant end to foreign support for opposing forces and regional insurgent organizations. This lack of support forced terrorist organizations to explore “alternate” means to sustain their operations. Thus, trafficking illicit small arms, light weapons, narcotics, kidnappings, assassinations became a common method to earn money. However, the rise of terrorism in the 21st century is due to proliferation of firearms that enabled a new generation of terrorism.
This new breed of jihadists possesses characteristics of both politically driven terrorism and ideologically inspired terrorism.
This new breed of jihadists possesses characteristics of both politically driven terrorism and ideologically inspired terrorism. Terrorists groups are able to send their message through digital propaganda and people believe in them because of discrepancies in the civil communities. People have lost faith in their governments, as the government has failed to enforce stricter laws and progressive approach towards the welfare of the society and development. The governments have failed to provide healthcare, education, self-determination, democratic governance, human rights, emancipation, empowerment, and human dignity which directly contribute to the rise of terrorism as an ideology and as a political agenda.
Let’s look at the reasons as to why Anti Terrorists mechanisms are failing in Africa:
The spread of radicalisation among the civilian population is much faster than it is anticipated by the government and the spread of violence and unemployment is directly proportional to spread of terrorism.
There is no control over region and they are either “ungoverned/lawless areas”, or they lack the political will as seen in the case of Somalia.
There is no designated budget sanctioned by the central government along with counter-terrorism measures that could eliminate the chain of extremism and transnational organized crimes, which terrorist organizations rely heavily for weapons and financial aid.
The lack of political will to enforce counter terrorists mechanisms as a tactics shows lack of cooperation and seriousness within the government structure.
Case Study
Since 2009, more than 10,000 people have been killed in Boko Haram-related violence, and 1.5 million have been displaced due to the insurgency.
Boko Haram
Formed in 2002, Boko Haram is an extreme Sunni Islamic group that emerged in the northern Nigeria. The group regards government has a corrupt bureaucracy, and only considers Shari Law has an enforcer of Islam. Its ultimate goal is to overthrow the Nigerian government and create an Islamic State and abolishing “Western-style education”. The organization comprises mostly of unemployed, poorly educated young Muslim men of the northeast. The group receives massive support from politicians from the Northern Nigeria.
In 2009, the Nigerian government arrested many of its members, including their leader Mohammad Yusuf, and killed Yusuf in police custody. However, after the death of Yusuf, Boko Haram has re-emerged, and has become better armed and utterly ruthless. In 2010, the group planned a massive prison breakout followed by several suicide bombings and assassinations. In 2011, Boko Haram staged a brutal suicide attack on a UN building in Abuja, killing 34 people. The targets of the organization include police stations, government buildings, churches, politicians, newspapers, banks, and schools throughout northern Nigeria. In 2014, the group abducted over 200 schoolgirls. In addition to attacks on state institutions, they have targeted the northern Christian population, threatening Christians to leave northern Nigeria. In 2012, they attacked over 25 churches, causing hundreds of casualties.
Since 2009, more than 10,000 people have been killed in Boko Haram-related violence, and 1.5 million have been displaced due to the insurgency.
Al Shabaab is an extremist Islamic group, which is an armed wing of the Islamic Courts Union, a much broader based Islamist movement that established a modicum of security in parts of Somalia…
Al Shabaab
Al Shabaab is an extremist Islamic group, which is an armed wing of the Islamic Courts Union, a much broader based Islamist movement that established a modicum of security in parts of Somalia at the end of 2006. Al Shabaab presented itself as a nationalist force bravely resisting aggression by Somalia’s traditional enemy—Ethiopia—and increased its support among Somalis, thus gained control of much of southern Somalia in 2009.
Al Shabaab quickly resorted to harsh and intolerant tactics, strictly implementing harsh Sharia Law and failed to respond to the chronic drought in 2011. As a result, the group was pushed back by both domestic backlash and foreign intervention. In October 2011, nearly 2,500 Kenyan troops invaded southern Somalia, eventually forcing Al Shabaab back from the border and ousting the group from its main stronghold, the southern city of Kismayo. Since then, Al Shabaab shifted tactics and retreated into asymmetrical warfare. The Somali based extremist group is consisted mainly of upcountry youth and recent converts to Islam.
Now based in Kenya and Somalia’s rural areas, Al Shabaab is on the run, but still aggressive. The group has exerted temporary and sustained control over strategic locations in those areas by recruiting regional sub clans and their militias, using guerrilla warfare and terrorist tactics against the Somali Federal Government (SFG), African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) peacekeepers, and nongovernmental aid organizations. The group continues to threaten neighbouring countries as well as Western interests in Africa.
There seems no end in sight to the violence in these lands. Anyone with a gun and a band of a few score of armed criminals are raking in money which enables them to buy more lethal and sophisticated arms.
In June 2010, Al-Shabaab staged their first terrorist attack outside of Somalia with several suicide bombings, which killed seventy four people who had gathered to watch the World Cup in the Ugandan capital of Kampala. Since then, Al Shabaab has launched high profile operations in neighbouring countries, most notably the September 2013 Westgate Mall attack in Nairobi and the May 2014 attack against a restaurant in Djibouti popular among Westerners. The Westgate attack killed 67 people, and a siege continued at the mall for several days. Al Shabaab attacks in Kenya escalated in 2014, with 173 people killed in Kenya, according to its police force.
Conclusion
There seems no end in sight to the violence in these lands. Anyone with a gun and a band of a few score of armed criminals are raking in money which enables them to buy more lethal and sophisticated arms. The developed world’s arms industry has no compunction in selling arms to whoever pays. None of them want to get involved in resolving the mess they left behind. The boat loads of refugees heading for the shores of Europe is a price they will have to pay till Africa is rid of these terror groups.
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