pedro sanchez herraez | colonel of the land army
The military man, one of the main analysts of the African region, warns against the escalation of jihadism and the increase in its “dangerousness”
The war in Ukraine has removed from focus one of the most dangerous places on the planet and also located at the gates of Europe: the Sahel. This gigantic strip of desert that crosses Africa from the Atlantic to the Red Sea is becoming one of the most imminent threats to the Old Continent. According to Army Colonel Pedro Sánchez Herráez, who gave a conference at La Sociedad Bilbaína last Thursday and is a great expert on the region, that territory is one of the main axes of the advance of Islamist terrorism.
– What is the current situation in the Sahel?
– Jihadism is increasing and is becoming more dangerous. In vulgar terms we could say that the perfect storm is taking place. It must be borne in mind that the creation of a caliphate, as the Islamic State did in Syria, is a source of problems. In such poor states, for many people the dilemma faced is to emigrate or join this type of group. They are also areas where masses of illegal emigration move, controlled by organized crime.
– You maintain that this situation has a strong historical component.
– It is a territory in which, historically, there has been a strong trade since ancient times. Before they were slaves and now they are emigrants. And from there came the Almohads and Almoravids, who occupied parts of Spain in the Middle Ages. At present we find ourselves with this push for jihadism and the deployment of powerful groups of drug traffickers. The largest drug laboratories currently being built in the world are located in that region. A veritable emporium of evil is being created there.
– However, it does not figure in the axis of political concerns.
– In Spain there are several ‘think tanks’ that have been explaining the evolution of this area and the dangers it implies for more than ten years. It is evident that in Europe there are countries like ours, France or Italy that are concerned about this region, and also others like Poland or the Nordic countries that are farther away and that also have other problems, as is now seen with the invasion of Ukraine. And the money that can be allocated to each of the sources is what it is.
– What is difficult to understand is that not even the defeat of the Islamic State in Syria has eroded the organizational capacity of jihadism.
– The caliphate was destroyed by a coalition of countries in which, let us not forget, Russia was a major player. Once the Islamic State fighters in Syria were eliminated, the jihadist narrative took refuge in the Sahel zone. Then there was the US withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021 and that changed everything. The message that all the jihadists received is that if we resist, we will defeat the crusaders.
– Are the echoes of the United States leaving Afghanistan still active?
– The ideology that was launched in Kabul now has its epicenter in the Sahel. Not only are there large jihadist groups, but they also have the financing of organized crime. And as Napoleon said, for something to work you only need three things: money, money and money.
– Describes a rather dark picture. How should the West wage that battle?
– Many efforts are being made and from the EU, for example, there are many bilateral agreements to support some very poor countries that lack the slightest infrastructure. But we are also faced with very complex situations in which, although there are significant amounts of money, there are local particularities that affect the entire set of aid. There is a pretty clear example. We send coronavirus vaccines to countries where there is not enough cold chain to preserve them. And it’s difficult to deal with the anti-Western narrative without the help of local elements.
arms trafficking
– These days there has been speculation about the possibility that weapons destined for the war in Ukraine end up in the Sahel.
– Since Gaddafi’s Libya disappeared, all the arsenals in that country were sold to the highest bidder so it seems that it is not very necessary to resort to other actors. Many points of sale are active and buying light weapons, which are the most dangerous, is quite easy. If there is more demand for weapons, to pay for it, it is only necessary to sell more drugs.
– Although this problem affects Europe, the closest countries are Algeria or Morocco.
They are terribly worried. Algeria is the largest country in Africa and the borders are gigantic, but they are also mere lines in the sand. In the Maghreb, these countries also feel threatened by jihadism and, especially, by this storm that is growing. You have to think that at certain times it is easier to achieve radicalization than moderation.
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