COUNTER-TERRORISM experts highlighted on Tuesday that Africa has now become the world’s hotspot for terrorism, with half of last year’s victims being killed in sub-Saharan Africa. While al-Qaida and Islamic State affiliates remain active worldwide, they are particularly widespread and persistent in other regions. The experts emphasised that global security deterioration has made the terrorism threat more complex and decentralised. Extremists are increasingly utilising sophisticated technology, including drones and artificial intelligence, to plan and execute attacks.
The United Nations is currently hosting its third high-level conference of heads of counter-terrorism agencies. During a panel discussion on assessing current and emerging terrorist trends and threats, experts from the UN, Interpol, Russia, the United States, Qatar, and Google came together. The overall theme for the week is addressing terrorism through reinvigorated i
nternational cooperation. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stressed the importance of not only foiling attacks but also focusing on preventing terrorism by addressing underlying drivers such as poverty, discrimination, and human rights violations.
During the panel session, A
frica took centre stage. UN Assistant Secretary-General Khaled Khiari stated that Africa has emerged as the key battleground for terrorism, with a significant increase in the number of active groups operating on the continent. ‘Africa has emerged as the key battleground for terrorism, with a major increase in the number of active groups operating on the continent,’ he said. Local political, economic, and social fractures, porous borders, and identity-based mobilisation have fuelled the emergence of al-Qaida and the Islamic State
group. Regions and countries such as Burkina Faso, the Sahel, Chad, and Sudan still face the consequences of weapons and foreign fighters flowing from Libya.
Col. Gen. Igor Sirotkin, deputy director of Russia’s Federal Security Service, warned that West Africa, especially the Maghreb and the Sahel, is becoming the epicentre of the Islamist terrorist threat. He expressed concerns about the potential reincarnation of ISIS as an African caliphate. Qatar’s special envoy for counter-terrorism, Mutiaq Al-Qahtani, called for counter-terrorism efforts to focus on Africa, as half of last year’s victims were in sub-Saharan Africa.
Experts monitoring UN sanctions against ISIS and al-Qaida highlighted the deteriorating situation in West Africa. They noted that IS is attempting to position itself as a political actor, taking advantage of the lack of counter-terrorism operations in the tri-border area of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger. There are growing concerns about IS and al-Qaida expl
oiting any opportunity in Congo.
Interpol’s counter-terrorism director, Gregory Hinds, stressed that al-Qaida and IS-related groups continue to inspire and carry out attacks across Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, Iraq, Syria, and A
fghanistan. Hinds also highlighted the alarming 50-fold increase in terrorism linked to extreme right-wing ideology, influenced by global events and agendas. Secretary-General Guterres added that neo-Nazi and white supremacist movements have become primary internal security threats in several countries.
While progress has been made in defeating ISIS in Iraq and Syria, experts acknowledged that more work needs to be done. Google’s senior manager for strategic intelligence, Tobias Peyeri, emphasised the company’s commitment to fighting extremism and terrorism by banning content produced by or supporting designated terrorist organisations. However, he acknowledged that extremist groups are becoming more skilled at evading detection and mentioned the responsible development and deployment of artificial intelligence as a crucial factor in countering these efforts.
(with AP)
