African Caucus Topic A: Combatting the Rise of Terrorism in Africa Chairs: Mariana Araujo, Shalom Rubino 1
Index Background Information.... 3 Timeline.............7 Key Terms........ 8 Guiding Questions....... 9 Further Research.......10 2
Background Information Known for its fragile economy and political instability, the Sahel region in northern Africa is composed by the territories of the following nations: Nigeria, Algeria, Cameroon, Gambia, Senegal, Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Chad, Sudan, South Sudan and Eritrea. This desertified area does not only have a tendency for corrupt governments, but faces challenges such as food deprivement together with a rapid population increase. Terrorism is a major issue in the Sahel. Criminal violence has significantly increased during the past decade, in which the political instability attracts major terrorist groups such as Al Qaeda. A lack of education, ethnic and religious intolerance, poverty, lack of economic opportunities, political fragmentation and criminal activity are all factors said to contribute to enlisting in terrorist organizations. The Arab Spring, which started in 2010, influenced Islamist groups in promoting instability throughout northern Africa. Boko Haram (Nigeria, Cameroon, Niger, Chad): Boko Haram, meaning Western education is a sin, is a militant Islamist movement located in northeast Nigeria. Funded and trained by the Al Qaeda, it has been labeled by the US as a terrorist organisation since November 2013. This group has been active in Nigeria since 2009, in which they have sought to establish an Islamic state. In 2012, the Nigerian government declared a state of emergency. Since then, Boko Haram has promoted massive attacks, causing 1.5 million people to flee conflict zones by the end of 2014. They became known world wide in April 2014 when they kidnapped 276 young school girls from Chibok, Borno, leading to the campaign "#BringBackOurGirls", which went viral all over the internet. In 2015, the intensity of 3
the attacks has increased, varying from suicide bombings to massacres. The Nigerian government is taking measures toward sending such violence and recently has hired mercenaries from South Africa and former Soviet Union to fight Boko Haram terrorists. Mali: Mali is one of the target sites of terrorist groups. The Mourabitounes presence is notorious there, they have been active since August, 2012, when their leader Moktar Belmoktar aligned with the jihadist Al Qaeda linked group Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa. Since French intervention, which happened in 2013 in order to prevent the spread of terrorist influence, this group has claimed responsibility for several attacks, which are spread from Mali to Niger. The other terrorist organization present is the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA), who are responsible for initiating the Tuareg Rebellion of 2012 a successful attempt at overthrowing the government in Mali. The final influential terrorist groups are the Al Qaeda, the Al Shabaab and the Boko 4
Haram, which are responsible for the innumerous attacks on civilians, which include bombings and kidnaps. Sudan: In the early 1990s, terrorism was introduced in Sudan through Osama Bin Laden and his followers, who established a business for terrorism to function. In the last decade, Sudan has been known for providing military training for several members of the most violent international terrorist and radical Islamic groups. Some terrorist groups active in this country are Hezbollah (Party of God), Palestine Islamic Jihad, Abu Nidal Organization, HAMAS (Islamic Resistance Movement) and smaller Islamic insurgent groups operating regionally and spreading towards Ethiopia, Eritrea, Uganda, and Tunisia. With the spread of extremism, there are mass killings of innocent civilians occurring on the grounds of religious ideology. One of the most secretive terrorist groups in Sudan is the SPLA, which uses terrorist methods in their fight for autonomy. In 2001, the SPLA escalated its campaign and attacked civilian oil targets, murdering a significant number of civilians and aid workers, as well as selling rockets to civilians. Many of the terrorist groups have a number of training camps in the country. The SPLA Militia, being the third largest African country since the secession of South Sudan in 2011, is a common place to hide a terrorist training center. Certain locations are known for training particular groups or people from certain countries. Somalia: An International Crisis Group (ICG) report identifies three active terrorist groups in Somalia. The first terrorist group is an al Qaeda Offshoot, considered guilty of bombing of the American embassy in Kenya in 1998, the bombing of a Mombasa resort hotel and a failed 5
missile attack on an Israeli jet in 2002. However, only half a dozen terrorists are active in Somalia. The second group is al Itihaad, or al Islaami, which has a large group of local jihadists, which has been responsible for a number of massacres and assassinations, such as murdering an Italian nun. Their leader is called Aden Hashi Ayro and was trained in Afghanistan. The group is spontaneously active, meaning they do not follow a specific ideological location or schedule. The third and most active terrorist group in Somalia is the Al Shabaab, responsible for the constant civil war in Somalia. Al Shabaab fights the African Union and Somali forces in Somalia, hoping to control and establish a terrorist base in the country. Since 2007, Al Shabaab has been the responsible for many bombings and smuggling happening in Mogadishu and against the Transitional National Government (TNG). 6
Timeline 2009: First Boko Haram attack occurs in police stations and government buildings in Maiduguri, Nigeria, and other northern cities. Christmas 2010: At least 32 people were killed in bomb blasts targeting churches on Christmas Eve 2010 in central Plateau state, which divides Muslim and Christian Nigerians. Other attacks in Christmas and Easter from other years have occurred after. June 2011: First suicide bomber attack from the Boko Haram. A suicide bomber crashed a car into the police headquarters in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, killing eight people. August 2011: Boko Haram attacks the UN headquarters in Abuja, Nigeria, killing 23 people. For the first time, this terrorist group hits a foreign target, proving itself a global jihadist movement. January 2012: 185 people are killed by the Boko Haram in coordinated bombings and gun attacks across Kano, the biggest city in the north of Nigeria with a majority Muslim population. July 2012: A suicide bomber detonates himself at a mosque in Maiduguri after Friday prayers targeting a senior Muslim leader. There are attacks in schools during this year as well. February 2013: Boko Haram fighters abduct a French family in Cameroon in response to the French military intervention in Mali. First attack outside of Nigeria. May 2013: Women and children, especially teenage girls, are held hostage by the Boko Haram in response to the arrest of its members' wives and children. The women and children captured were sold as sexual slaves. April 2014: 329 girls are kidnapped from a boarding school in Chibok, northeastern Nigeria. The worldwide campaign "#BringBackOurGirls" begins, bringing attention towards the growth of the Boko Haram terrorist organization. 7
Key Terms Boko Haram: Boko Haram is an Islamic extremist group based in northeastern Nigeria, also active in Chad, Niger and northern Cameroon. The group is led by Abubakar Shekau. Estimates of the group's membership vary between 7,000 and 10,000 fighters Al Qaeda: Al Qaeda is a global militant Islamist organization founded by Osama bin Laden, Abdullah Azzam, and several others, at the late 1980s, with origins traceable to the Arab volunteers who fought against the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in the 1980s. It has been designated as a terrorist group by the United Nations Security Council, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the European Union, the United States, Russia, India, and a series of other countries. Jihadism: Jihadism is a term used to cover Islamic insurgency, terrorism and Mujahideen guerilla warfare with an international scope since it is represented by the al Qaeda network. HAMAS: A Palestinian Islamic organization, with an associated military wing in the Palestinian territories and throughout the Middle East. SPLA: The Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) is the army of the Republic of South Sudan. The SPLA was founded as a guerrilla movement in 1983 and was a key participant of the Second Sudanese Civil War. MNLA: The National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad is a political and military organization based in Northern Mali. The movement is made up of Tuareg rebels. The Malian government has accused the movement of having links to Al Qaeda. Al Shabaab: a Jihadist terrorist group based in Somalia who has pledged allegiance to the militant Islamist organization Al Qaeda. Al Shabaab's troop strength was estimated at 7,000 to 9,000 militants in 2014. As of 2015, the group has retreated from the major cities, controlling a few rural areas in Somalia. Arab Spring: A series of uprisings in Arab countries, starting in Tunisia in December 2010, where protesters challenged the existing authoritarian regimes. 8
Guiding Questions What are some possible strategies towards eliminating the spread of terrorism in Africa? To what extent are terrorist organizations impeding the establishment of democracy in Africa? How are they detrimental to the development of African nations? What are possibly the best strategies for resolving this issue? How can terrorism be related to Africa's socio economic structure? Are the African nations capable of tackling this issue independently and without foreign aid? 9
Further Research Terrorism in Sahel and Northern Africa (Overview): http://www.potomacinstitute.org/images/studies/iucts2015finalnafricasahel.pdf http://www.voanews.com/content/sahel terrorism draws international attention/1874559.html Boko Haram: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ozioma/boko haram the nigerian h_b_6498702.html http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/07/boko haram attack_n_5779890.html http://www.theroot.com/articles/politics/2015/02/how_exactly_do_we_get_rid_of_boko_haram. html Sudan: http://www.defenddemocracy.org/sudans sponsorship of terrorism violence2 https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/sudan embraces genocide terrorism iran/2014/11/30 /2ed603ae 75bb 11e4 a755 e32227229e7b_story.html Mali: http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2013/10/the new terrorist training ground/309446/ 10