Africa seen as ‘largest global generator of jihadist violence’

Africa “is notorious for being the largest global generator of jihadist violence,” according to a recently published research paper.

Statistics from the Middle East Africa Research Institute (MEARI) paint “an alarming picture of the upward trajectory of jihadist terrorism in an increasingly unstable African theater of operations.”

The 80-plus page “Monitoring terrorism trends in Africa” report examines major terrorist groups, their affiliations, operational strategies, goals, objectives, organizational structures, international links, frequency of attacks, profiles and nature of targets.

The report states that terrorism is not new to Africa and has existed on the continent for more than 50 years with its historical roots. Before the terrorist bombings of the United States (US) embassies in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam in August 1998, which killed 224 people and injured more than five thousand others, the continent was not widely regarded as a hotbed of international terrorism. Despite these high-profile attacks, the terrorist threat in Africa often appeared isolated, narrowly focused, and rooted in domestic problems that rarely transcended international borders. According to MEARI, this will begin to change after the September 11, 2001 attacks and the launch of the American-led war on terrorism.

“Africa, with its vast ungoverned spaces and uncontrolled borders, weak and corrupt governments, and impoverished and alienated population, has come to be seen by many, especially the United States and its Western allies, as a fertile breeding ground for international jihadist-inspired terrorism.”

The growth of radical Islamist terrorism since the early nineties is something the report calls “the most troubling trend.” This situation currently poses one of the greatest and more direct threats to African peace and stability. African governments, regional and subregional organizations, and the international community subsequently gave high priority to finding solutions to this scourge. Part of the report states that there are numerous indigenous radical Islamist groups in Africa today, with varying degrees of organization, structure and activism, that are engaging in and/or facilitating a new and extremely powerful form of terrorism.

According to MEARI, statistics from published studies show militant Islamist violence in five main regions called “areas of instability.” These are the Lake Chad Basin, the Sahel, Egypt, Somalia and Mozambique. Worryingly, 22 African countries (nearly half the continent) face violence from jihadist groups.

South Africa

MEARI reports that cells loyal to the Islamic State in South Africa constitute another important center for the financing of both ISCAP (Islamic State Central African Province) and the Islamic State in Mozambique. Cells in South Africa, although not formally organized as an Islamic State so-called “province”, play a “very large role” in generating and coordinating revenue for Central, Eastern and Southern Africa, as well as generating local revenue for the Islamic State elsewhere. “

The report states that the activities of ISIS-affiliated cells in terms of generating income in South Africa are predominantly criminal in nature. “The alleged Durban-based Islamic State cell led by Farhad Hoomer has reportedly been involved in kidnappings for ransom and extortion in Durban and Kliprivier. “Hoomer’s plans to raise funds for the Islamic State were later confirmed by the U.S. Treasury in March 2022, when Hoomer and three others based in South Africa were sanctioned for financing terrorism.”

Other sources confirmed the affiliation between ISCAP, the Islamic State of Somalia, and Islamic State cells in South Africa. In addition, individuals affiliated with ISCAP were also working with Islamic State cells based in South Africa. According to MEARI, two former ISCAP members describe traveling to South Africa to receive military and religious training, one in 2018 and the other in 2021.

In terms of financing, the report notes that South African cells appear to be intermediaries that pool funds from the provinces and support networks that focus primarily on generating revenue and transferring money. MEARI says money generated in South Africa and Somalia is laundered across East Africa through a network that finances the Islamic State’s activities in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Uganda, Tanzania and Mozambique.

Islamic State money was held to help fund improvised explosive device (IED) explosions and suicide attacks, both attempted and successful, in Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda from at least August 2021 through the end of 2022, the report found.

Suggestions

The MEARI report states that terrorism in Africa is a reality, but that it must be examined carefully in the context of the continent’s unique history and socio-economic challenges. “This is the real security challenge of the 21st century. The Institute states that it would be a serious mistake to look too narrowly at terrorism alone, and particularly international terrorism, as the source of insecurity in Africa.

“At the core of the fight against terrorism in Africa are violent conflicts, state failure, widespread poverty, poor governance, and a host of other internal problems, including a lack of political and socio-economic inclusion. Rather than being a source of insecurity, terrorism is a symptom of these social problems, and unless progress is made against these problems, terrorism will continue to plague the continent. It became a tool for the weak and disenfranchised to voice their internal grievances.

“Jihadist terrorism has now arguably reached pandemic-like proportions. Indeed, a highly “lethal strain” of jihadist terrorism appears to have infected the continent; the strain adapted rapidly, mutated rapidly, and metastasized into one of Africa’s most serious national and regional security threats to date. General attempts to develop a definitive treatment have remained elusive.”

To combat terrorism and challenges, MEARI believes that the solution to African terrorism can only be found in promoting greater social and human security. “Of course, developing a stronger counterterrorism capability is part of the equation, but this should be used judicially, and not at the expense of or in place of other non-military tools that primarily seek to change the conditions that foster terrorism and allow it to prosper.”

Elimination of the root causes of terrorism (provision of basic social services, provision of better land use and property rights, etc.), joint work across the continent, application of selective military pressure and political-economic incentives are other suggestions, as well as reducing the social tensions experienced by terrorists. develop and improve economic governance. Fighting transnational organized crime is vital in reducing armed conflicts as well as weakening terrorist activities.

The MEARI report is largely based on published research and can be accessed here. Here.