Fears of increasing terrorist activity in East and Central Africa

Ahmed Shaaban (Cairo)

Experts in African affairs and international terrorism have warned of the exacerbation and increase of terrorist operations in Africa during the year 2024, especially in the eastern and central regions of the continent, due to the lack of development and intellectual policies and the absence of security coordination between countries, which has led to the expansion of extremist organizations, led by Al-Qaeda. ISIS.”
The experts stressed the need to arrange security alternatives following the departure of African Union forces from Somalia for fear of creating a security vacuum that threatens the security of the region, as well as the importance of coordinating security efforts at the border level to prevent the infiltration of terrorist elements.
The East Africa region ranked first in terms of the number of terrorist attacks, and fourth in terms of the number of victims during the last months of 2023, and the Central Africa region ranked third in terms of the number of operations, and second in the number of deaths resulting from terrorist operations.
The expert on African affairs, Dr. Ramadan Qarni, stated that Al-Qaeda is spreading in the East African region, especially the terrorist Al-Shabaab movement in Somalia, and despite the relative successes achieved by the Somali government in confronting terrorism; However, the movement still represents a threat to the efforts of the international and Somali community.
Qarni said, in a statement to Al-Ittihad, that East Africa has witnessed the expansion of ISIS in the last two years, especially on the borders with Tanzania and Rwanda, and the presence of intense activity by the organization in this region is attributed to the loose borders between these countries and the absence of security coordination, adding that The Democratic Republic of Congo in Central Africa faces the March 23 armed group, linked to ISIS.
He pointed to the absence of a developmental dimension in confronting terrorism in Africa, as the countries facing the phenomenon have not yet presented any development project in addition to the absence of the intellectual and cultural dimension, warning of the danger of coordination between Al-Qaeda and ISIS in some areas, which threatens the state of peace and security in the country. Continent.
For his part, Mounir Adeeb, a researcher in the affairs of extremist movements and international terrorism, believes that efforts to combat terrorism in Africa have weakened significantly, specifically in the center, east and west of the continent due to military coups that led to the existence of weak political systems and an increase in violent and terrorist groups, expecting an increase in 2024. If things continue as they are.
Adeeb explained in a statement to Al-Ittihad that this situation was reflected in the departure of French and American forces from Central and East Africa, and the growth of violent and extremist groups in these regions, in addition to declaring their loyalty to Al-Qaeda and ISIS, pointing out that these organizations have Financial resources and capabilities on the ground.
Adeeb warned that any efforts will not bear fruit unless the international community unites to end the conflicts that lead to the growth of extremist organizations, and unifies efforts to eliminate them, as happened in 2014 to confront ISIS, and the necessity of supporting political systems and local capabilities.