NSD-S HUB | Trends in Terrorist Activity in Africa 2012

Terrorism remains one of the main security challenges in Africa, and the past decade has seen an alarming increase of terrorism related activities. Terrorist Groups have shown an aptitude to adapt and evolve and continue presenting a serious threat to regional and international security. The following report highlights current trends in terrorist activity in Africa, with focus on Al-Qaeda and DAESH.

READ FULL REPORT

Background

Over the past decade, Africa has turned into a new battle space for Terrorist Groups as their activity has spread across the continent, with the Sahel being one of the most affected regions. It has also become a springboard for terrorist activities into West African coastal countries, which are considered the most vulnerable to counter this spillover of violence.

Understanding the terrorism dynamics in Africa is a crucial element for countering the threat.

To give a better insight on trends in terrorist activity within the African continent, the HUB developed the project using publicly available data from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) well as other open sources. In addition, data from other HUB publications were used in order to provide a more complete understanding of terrorism-related trends in selected areas of Africa.

Key insights

Trends

Despite international efforts, Terrorist Groups in Africa persist and are expanding.
Socio-political shocks and economic challenges have made it far easier for Terrorist Groups to expand their activities
Over the past decade, Terrorist Groups affiliated to Al-Qaeda and DAESH have increased their focus on Africa
The potential spillover of terrorism into West African littoral countries poses a serious threat to the region.