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Speakers Warn Security Council Terrorism Spreading across Africa at Alarming Rate, Call for Greater Support, Enhanced International, Regional Cooperation
SECURITY COUNCIL. 9296TH MEETING (AM). SC/15245. 28 MARCH 2023.
With terrorism and violent extremism spreading across Africa at an alarming rate, counter-efforts must take into account the socioeconomic drivers of terrorist recruitment, challenges posed by climate change and terrorist Internet propaganda, the Security Council heard today, as speakers called for greater support in the fight against the evolving threat, as well as enhanced cooperation among the United Nations, African Union and African subregional organizations.
“No age, no culture, no religion, no nationality and no region are immune” to terrorism, said António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, voicing particular concern over the situation in Africa. Across the continent, despair, poverty, hunger, lack of basic services, unemployment and unconstitutional changes in government continue to lay fertile ground for the expansion of terrorist groups and the flow of fighters, funds and weapons. In addition, the online world provides a global platform to spread violent ideologies even further. However, “just as terrorism drives people apart, countering it can bring countries together,” he pointed out, spotlighting regional counter-terrorism initiatives — from joint efforts in the Sahel, Lake Chad Basin and Mozambique to the recent Extraordinary Summit of the African Union on terrorism and unconstitutional changes of government. Highlighting United Nations-tailored assistance to African Member States, including prevention, prosecutions and rehabilitation, he also stressed that the fight against terrorism will never succeed if the denial and destruction of human rights is perpetuated. Azali Assoumani, President of Comoros and Chairperson of the African Union, also briefed the 15-nation organ, reporting that terrorism and violent extremism “really exploded in Africa” in recent years.
Filipe Jacinto Nyusi, President of Mozambique and Council President for March, speaking in his national capacity, emphasized that, while terrorism is a global threat, the situation in Africa remains more critical, with the continent representing 48 per cent of terrorism-related deaths and the Sahel region becoming the new epicentre of terrorist attacks. Terrorist groups are trafficking mineral resources and illicit drugs to fund their activities through money-laundering, he noted, calling for more support to be lent to his country and Rwanda, among others, to eradicate terrorism in the region.
Along similar lines, Rose Christiane Raponda, Vice-President of Gabon, describing 2022 as a particularly blood-thirsty year in Africa, said that terrorist acts resulted in 7,816 deaths across all five regions. The Sahel, Lake Chad region and Southern Africa are particularly affected, she said, expressing concern about the ability of Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), also known as Da’esh, to mobilize resources. As terrorism tests the capacity of States and destabilizes entire regions, the current polarization of the world must not result in the weakening of multilateralism, she said, spotlighting regional initiatives, such as the Group of Five for the Sahel (G5 Sahel) and the Accra initiative.
While terrorism exists everywhere, Alain Berset, President of Switzerland, pointed out that it is manifesting in a particularly alarming way in Africa, with new groups emerging and existing armed groups joining United Nations-designated terrorist organizations. The necessary ingredients for breaking this cycle of violence are well-known — the rule of law, prevention, partnerships, inclusion and respect for international law. In this context, he highlighted an initiative that his country has undertaken together with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) — a handbook to guide the provision of psychosocial assistance to children linked with criminal or armed groups. Vincent Biruta, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Rwanda, said that traditional peacekeeping missions alone have not proved effective enough to address terrorism and violent extremism. Instead, he underlined the importance of robust and pragmatic approaches, tailored to local contexts, spotlighting the bilateral mechanism Rwanda deployed in Mozambique and the Central African Republic at the request of both Governments.
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