Terrorism, Insurgencies and Counter-insurgencies in Africa: Editorial Commentary (original) (raw)
Related papers
Jihadism in Mali and the Sahel : Evolving dynamics and patterns by Luca Raineri and
2017
The Sahel is a crisis polygon. Following the French intervention in Mali in 2013, this vast and sparsely inhabited region has seen the gradual resurgence and the realignment of jihadist armed groups that have extended their operational range further south – across northwest African borders, where they interfere in and interact with already existing conflicts – and increased the challenges for regional stability.
Risks and Threats in the Western Sahel. Radicalization and Terrorism in the Sub-Region
PEACE & SECURITY-PAIX ET SÉCURITÉ INTERNATIONALES (EuroMediterranean Journal of International Law and International Relations), 2015
This article addresses the most important security challenges existing in the Western Sahel countries, an emerging sub-region encompassing Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger. The sub-region is very much affected by developments in neighboring countries such as Algeria, Libya, and Nigeria, among others. A number of recent processes –the Arab revolts and their effects in Libya and Egypt, the reinforcement of Boko Haram as a regional terrorist threat, etc– have contributed to aggravate insecurity in a region that suffers environmental problems, political instability, inter-communitarian tensions and illegal traffi cking since a number of decades ago. All these risks and threats are inviting states and international organizations to become more and more involved in order to provide responses and, eventually, solutions. RISQUES ET MÉNACES DANS LE SAHEL OCCIDENTAL. RADICALISATION ET TERRORISME DANS LA SUB-REGION Cet article s’ocupe des défis de sécurité les plus importantes qu’on trouve dans la sub-région du du Sahel Occidentale (le Burkina Faso, le Tchad, le Mali, la Mauritanie et le Nïger). Cette sub-région deviens très touchée par les processus vécus en Algérie, en Libye et au Nigéria, parmis des autres pays voisins. Quelques evénements tels que les revoltes arabes dans la Libye ou en Egypte et aussi le renforcement de Boko Haram en tant que groupe terroriste de dimension régionale ont contribué à aggraver l’ insécurité dans la région. En plus, les pays du Sahel Occidentale sont affectés depuis des decenies par des problèmes tels que les crises environmentales, l’ instabilité politique, les tensions inter-communitaires et les traffics illicites. Tels risques et telles ménaces invitent les états et les organisations internationales à designer des réponses et, eventuellement, des solutions a ceux problèmes. RIESGOS Y AMENAZAS EN EL SAHEL OCCIDENTAL. RADICALIZACIÓN Y TERRORISMO EN LA SUBREGIÓN Este artículo se ocupa de los desafíos de seguridad más importantes que podemos inventariar en los países del Sahel Occidental, una subregión emergente que incluye a Burkina Faso, Chad, Malí, Mauritania y Níger. La subregión se ve muy afectada por los procesos que se viven en países vecinos como Argelia, Libia y Nigeria, entre otros. Algunos procesos recientes –las revueltas árabes y sus efectos en Libia y Egipto, el reforzamiento de Boko Haram como amenaza terrorista regional, etc– han contribuido a incrementar la inseguridad en una región que ya sufre desde hace décadas problemas medioambientales, inestabilidad política, tensiones intercomunitarias y tráficos ilícitos. Todos estos riesgos y amenazas invitan a los Estados y a las Organizaciones Internacionales a involucrarse cada vez más en el esfuerzo para encontrar respuestas y eventualmente soluciones a los mismos.
Understanding the drivers of violent extremism in the African Sahel: A historical perspective
African Journal of Political Science and International Relations, 2024
This article analyzes the historical drivers of violent extremism in the African Sahel, with a focus on Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger. It examines how historical factors have evolved to nurture a plethora of violent extremist organizations (VEOs) operating in the region, making it the epicenter of violent extremism in 2023. These historical factors include the influence of religion, Tuareg rebellions (1963, 1990, and 2012) in Mali, the spillover effects of the Algerian Civil War of 1992, the impact of the Libyan crisis in 2011, and the Fulani crisis in Central Mali. The study argues that historical drivers of violent extremism in the African Sahel have remained dormant for decades but were recently reignited by contemporary factors such as governance failures. The article is based on in-depth Key Informant Interviews (KIIs), Focus Group Discussions (FGD), and the analysis of secondary sources. The findings of the study reveal that historical drivers of violent extremism in the African Sahel have persisted due to oral tradition and the use of information and communication technology (ICT), which has perpetuated extremist ideologies across generations. Therefore, strategies to counter violent extremism in the region must prioritize mainstreaming de-radicalization with alternate narratives, education, good governance, and economic development, rather than relying solely on a military combat-dominated approach. Key words: Violent extremism, historical factors, violent extremist organisations, and African Sahel.
Jihadism in Mali and the Sahel: Evolving dynamics and patterns
EUISS Brief 21 - 2017 ‘Jihadist organisations [...] managed to co-opt local demands for protection, redistribution and moral integrity by framing the revolt against corrupt neopatrimonial regimes backed by the West as part of the struggle for the global jihad.’ NB: This is a policy brief, sorry no references were allowed by the format. Updated 10 June 2017.
Terrorism and Political Violence
While jihadism appears to be on the rise in Africa, the explanations of violent extremist groups' capacity to foment jihadi insurgencies and mobilize recruits remain poorly understood. Recent studies have challenged the assumption that the rise of jihadism in Africa is the result of poor governance in areas of limited state reach, highlighting instead the significance of the (perception of) abuses perpetrated by state authorities. Looking at collective action and its structural determinants, it is rather state action-and not the lack thereof-that best explains the capacity of mobilization of jihadi insurgencies in African borderlands. In order to test this theory in a least-likely case, the article explores the genealogy and evolution of the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS), mobilizing extensive qualitative evidence. Borrowing the analytical framework from civil war studies, it argues that the contentious political dynamics observed in Niger's borderlands amount to a case of symmetric non-conventional warfare, where abuses perpetrated by state proxies trigger an escalation of homegrown terrorism. It therefore supplies a further specification of the theories investigating the complex interplay between the processes of jihadi mobilization/rebel governance and the practices of counter-terrorism in weak states.
The conflict in Mali, a new global war
West Africa stigmatizes the challenge of global securities. Whereas the region previously attempted to come out unscathed from a long-standing brutal and ruthless-ruled despot, it now faces issues which sources are from distant continent of Africa. At its heart, Mali incurs the impacts and delivers a mixture of these hindrances. The idea of intra-state conflict as occurred in the end of the Cold War is out of date and the issues ignited in Burkina Faso will echo in Libya. In a more global world, the terminology of West Africa is unappropriated and has to evolve to embrace the Maghreb. Both parts of Africa are indivisible and fit into an interconnected network. Transnational organized crime (TOC) and terrorist organizations such as Al Qaeda in Maghreb (AQIM) and the Movement for the unicity and Jihad in West Africa (MUJAO) have already seized the opportunity to expand their activities beyond national borders. In addition to overlap each other, they perpetrate their actions based on the historical and cultural Trans-Saharan routes. A new form of African conflict is poised to amplify with more complex and varied symptoms. This results in an African global war without existing borders. From a global issue whose the enemy is both anywhere and everywhere, an appropriate response corresponds to a consortium of multiple actors, including states, Non-Governmental organizations and international organizations. Finally, can we talk about change as Trans-Saharan routes have existed for centuries. TOCs and jihadi groups such as MUJAO rely on networks which have defined the regional interdependence for a long time.