Fatfgiabagabac 2016, terrorist financing in west and central africa, fatf, paris. Therefore, it is valuable to narrow the criteria to only include 1 unambiguous terrorist incidents and 2 incidents linked to active militant islamist groups that directly impact core u. How islamist militant groups are gaining strength in africa vox. While case studies and examples on these groups have not been sought for the purposes of this report, it is important to note that legislation or listing mechanisms in some countries in west and central africa or other parts of the world, classifies them as terrorist organisations.
This document andor any map included herein are without prejudice to the status of or. Patterns in terrorism in north africa, the middle east. Another threat is in the sparsely populated regions such as the sahel where terrorist groups, like the salafist group for preaching and combat. Response congressional research service 1 overview in 1998, al qaeda aq conducted its first u. It reflects events that occurred between april 2016 and march 2017. One of the most dangerous regions is the greater horn of africa along with yemen, its volatile neighbor. Contains many features across the full range of issues pertaining to international terrorism. Mapping islamist terrorist incidents in africa for 2017. What you need to know about terrorism in east africa a guide to the groups in and around somalia contributing to the ongoing war on terrorism. Foreign terrorist organizations united states department of. Groups, activities, and politics adeyemi bukola oyeniyi abstract while global attention is focused on embassy bombing, aircraft hijacking and 911 terroristsattack kind of terrorism, equally devastating terrorist activities with equally devastating impacts are daily swept under the carpet in africa.
At the end of 2017, 70 countries had laws in place to prosecute and penalize foreign terrorist fighters, and 69 had prosecuted or arrested foreign terrorist fighters or their facilitators. Fto designations play a critical role in our fight against terrorism and are an effective means of curtailing support for terrorist activities and pressuring groups to. Ghana, togo, benin, and others may find themselves unwitting targets as terrorist groups continue to expand their sphere of influence and impact. For example, the sunnisalafist groups are seeking to build a network of jihadist groups to establish an islamic caliphate. Feb 06, 2014 by john nugent terrorist threats in africa have diversified and become more severe in recent years. The war on terrorism in africa council on foreign relations. With the numerous terrorist cells or groups scattered all over and operating in some unfortunate regions in the world, the following represent the most dangerous groups ever brought into existence. Here is a risk forecast of six hotspots to watch in the months ahead. Unfortunately, this may be the new reality that many countries in west africa will begin to grapple with. Alqaedas north african branch has carried out three highprofile attacks in west africa in the past. Although this study seeks to map terrorism in africa over time, and as such is.
Further complicating the strategic situation in africa are the vast cultural and ethnic differences across geographic boundaries making the gathering and interpretation of intelligence difficult. Map of africas militant islamic groups africa center. The united states also worked to stanch the flow of money to terrorist networks by designating. Organizations designated as terrorist by designator. The first report is entitled patterns in terrorism in north africa, the middle east, central asia and south asia. Jul 03, 2018 islamist terrorist groups are turning their attention to west africa a soldier near the site of a suspected terrorist attack in ouagadougou, burkina faso, on march 2. May 11, 2016 in the mid20th century, the western powers partitioned west africa, and other parts of the african continent, into nationstates that had nothing in common with each other apart from geographical. But there are many more brutal terrorist groups in africa. A map of terrorist attacks, according to wikipedia. Islamist terrorist groups are turning their attention to west. Recent highprofile attacks have drawn increased attention to the threat of terrorism in africa. Once a country is designated, it remains a state sponsor of terrorism until the designation is rescinded in accordance with statutory criteria. The islamic states selfdeclared african provinces in algeria, tunisia, and libya have made only limited progress in rooting themselves in local communities.
Terrorist atrocities by sunni muslim extremists are on the verge of becoming the worlds white noise. However, the number of terrorist attacks being witnessed around the continent are well documented in literature and the media. The isis plan to establish a caliphate in north africa was thwarted after it was routed out of sirte, the last isis strong hold, in december 2016 by the libyan national army, with air support provided by the united states us. Africa recorded the second highest number of deaths from. This document andor any map included herein are without prejudice to the status of or sovereignty over any territory, to the delimitation of international frontiers and boundaries and to the name of any territory, city or area. Maps were created using the environmental systems research. An evolving threat on europes doorstep giuseppe dentice no. Despite its reduced capacity, isil remained the deadliest terrorist group globally in 2017. Learn about the key terrorist organizations in africa, including the membership, religious extremism, goal and more in this abc news infographic. Terrorist financing in west and central africa fatf. Islamist terrorist groups have found a new home and its not in the middle east its in africa. Perpetrators known to be affiliated or not known to be. Taliban overtook isil as the worlds deadliest terrorist group in.
Jun 21, 2018 how islamist militant groups are gaining strength in africa terrorist groups are destabilizing countries all over the continent. How islamist militant groups are gaining strength in africa terrorist groups are destabilizing countries all over the continent. Why terrorism thrives in west africa gatestone institute. I will now list our top 10 active terrorist groups in africa. Specifically, the sahel, a band of territory in west africa between the sahara desert and the.
This category is for articles about organizations in africa that have been designated as a terrorist organization. Louis, missouri various poverty stricken areas have become the ideal host to three of the most dangerous terrorist groups in africa. Sep 30, 20 what you need to know about terrorism in east africa a guide to the groups in and around somalia contributing to the ongoing war on terrorism. Africas active militant islamist groups africa center for. This is the first regional look at terrorism around the globe, and today were going to specifically be looking at terrorist the terrorist threat in the horn of africa. The terrorist threat in africa council on foreign relations. How islamist militant groups are gaining strength in africa. The following section provides a brief description of africas most prominent terrorist groups under study nigerias boko haram and somalias alshabaab.
Jun 29, 2011 the burke chair has prepared two new reports on terrorism in north africa, the middle east, central asia, and south asia. Apr 09, 2018 in addition, a major epicenter of terrorist activities in west and central africa is nigeria which has been confronted by acts of terrorism perpetrated by the islamist extremist in the north east and armed militants in the niger delta. Islamist terrorist groups are turning their attention to west africa a soldier near the site of a suspected terrorist attack in ouagadougou, burkina faso, on march 2. Articles placed in this category should also be in at least one category under category. Many organizations that are accused of being a terrorist organization deny using. Islamist terrorist groups are turning their attention to. These entitie s, including the nigerian boko haram and the alshabaab in kenya, have exploited the. Map of africas militant islamic groups africa center for strategic. African countries which has led to cameroon and niger rising to th and 16th in the.
Countering violent extremism al shabaab aqim boko haram extremism islamic state infographics. Throw in some unstable corrupt governments and longlasting civil wars, and the continent is a prime target for terrorists. Terrorist financing in west africa download pdf 755kb the inter governmental action group against money laundering in west africa giaba and the fatf collaborated on a typologies research project to identify the methods used by terrorists, terrorist groups, and their supporters in the west african region to collect, transfer and utilise funds. In the mid20th century, the western powers partitioned west africa, and other parts of the african continent, into nationstates that had nothing in. There is no definite number of terrorist groups in africa. This is because terrorism is an evolving notion being perpetuated by myriad actors across the continent. A global map of terrorist attacks, dynamically sourced from wikipedia data and updated in nearreal time. Such designations have had a significant effect on the groups activities. These reports draw on unclassified us reporting by the national counterterrorism center and the us department of state. A soldier patrols after an alqaeda attack on a beach in grand bassam, ivory coast, march 14.
What you need to know about terrorism in east africa us news. The two groupsboth offshoots of alqaida in the lands of the islamic maghreb aqimconducted numerous attacks against westerners in north and west africa prior to their merger, including the january 20 attack on the inamenas gas facility in algeria that killed nearly 40 westerners, including three americans. Map of africas militant islamic groups africa center for. Alshabaab, boko haram and alqaeda in the islamic maghreb are all terrorist groups in africa designated by the united states as foreign terrorist organizations. From south asia to south america, terrorist groups are on the rise. This book offers authoritative insight into the struggle against terrorism in the horn what has been done and what work remains. Two weeks ago, there was an attack by three killers swearing allegiance to the islamic state. Top 15 most dangerous terrorist organizations in the world. This is the third update of a map the africa center for strategic studies initially released in april 2016.
To designate a country as a state sponsor of terrorism, the secretary of state must determine that the government of such country has repeatedly provided support for acts of international terrorism. Apr 03, 2015 terrorist atrocities by sunni muslim extremists are on the verge of becoming the worlds white noise. In an effort to continue to put some context to this war against terrorism, were holding a second background briefing the second of several that we hope to do. Foreign terrorist organizations ftos are foreign organizations that are designated by the secretary of state in accordance with section 219 of the immigration and nationality act ina, as amended. Rise of terrorism in africa manohar parrikar institute for. There are many local insurgency groups that use politically motivated violence against civilians. Pdf as terrorism thrives in other climes, the governments of kenya and nigeria are. Incidents of attacks between 2010 and 2016 in nigeria and kenya. By john nugent terrorist threats in africa have diversified and become more severe in recent years. Africas active militant islamic groups as of apr 2017. The following list of designated terrorist groups have been created by national governments, former governments, and intergovernmental organizations. The decline of isil has also been reflected in the level of terrorist activity in europe, with the number of deaths falling by 75 per cent, from 827 in 2016 to 204 in 2017. The africa center for strategic studies acss has published a useful map of militant islamist groups active in africa.
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