Africa struck 82 times by a terrorist in March 2019 – Report

The African Center for Studies and Research on Terrorism (ACSRT) reported that the continent had recorded 82 terrorist attacks in the region between 16 March and 31 March 2019.

That's what Lieutenant-Colonel (Rtd) Larry Gbevlo-Lartey, the African Union's Special Representative for Counter-Terrorism Cooperation and Director of the African Center, said. Study and Research on Terrorism (ACSRT) based in Algiers.

Lieutenant Colonel Larry Gbevlo-Lartey

The reporting period recorded 544 terrorist-related deaths, of which 415 were directly related to terrorist attacks, of which 129 were recorded during counterterrorism operations conducted by security forces.

The African Center said in a bi-weekly publication "Africa Terrorism Bulletin" made available to the Ghana Press Agency in Accra.

The African Center will badess the situation and trends of terrorism and violent extremism on the continent every two weeks and provide African Union Member States with up-to-date information on terrorist incidents and their activities. related.

According to the report, the Sahel region recorded 57 out of 82 terrorist attacks. 79% of civilians, 62% of the military and 66% of terrorists died in the Sahel region.

It also revealed that 62% (344) of those who died on the continent were civilians, compared to 27% of terrorists (149). The armed forces / security accounted for 11% (61).

In 54 of the 82 attacks, terrorists used small arms and light weapons (SALW); Fifteen attacks were carried out against improvised explosive devices (IEDs), an improvised explosive device attack and SALW, and 12 abduction cases.

According to the African Center, five kidnappings took place in the Soum province of Burkina Faso, three in the English-speaking regions of Cameroon, two in Nigeria and one in Mali.

A total of 140 people were taken hostage, five were killed, 106 were released and 29 were held hostage.

The report revealed that 57 of these attacks targeted civilians, 16 security forces, 7 government institutions / officials and 2 international organizations.

In terms of losses suffered by terrorist groups, Boko Haram lost 80 members while Al-Shabaab lost 48 during counter-terrorism operations.

Twenty-one others belonging to unidentified or unaffiliated groups were also killed in the fight against terrorism and counter-insurgency.

The five countries most affected by terrorism during this period are Mali, Somalia, Niger, Burkina Faso and Nigeria.

Countries in the Sahel region of West Africa recorded a total of 400 out of 544 deaths, or 74% of terrorism-related deaths for the period.

Of these, 264 were civilians, 98 terrorists and 38 security personnel.

According to the report, the bold nature of these attacks, despite Security Forced's efforts to fight terrorism, is an indication of the viability and ability of terrorist groups to continue operating.

Examination of the situation reveals a deterioration of security, safety and stability in the Sahel region. Mali faces the proliferation of violent extremist groups with varying motivations, and the ease with which small arms and light weapons may be acquired in the Sahel region has contributed to daily attacks and atrocities.

According to the report, a number of political, socio-cultural and economic factors have further created conditions conducive to the spread of terrorism and violent extremism in the Sahelian belt.

The African Center acknowledged that, while more needs to be done to support counter-terrorism operations to improve security and stability, a human security response approach should inform military operation concepts.

The report stated that the protection and empowerment of local communities should be given priority to ensure their resilience.

Lack of opportunities for young people, political impunity, exclusion, marginalization, the effects of climate change / competition for scarce resources and underdevelopment are concerns which, if left untreated, present a high risk of escalation could lead to the commission of more atrocities.

The African Center was established as a structure of the African Union in 2004 as part of the AU Plan of Action to Prevent and Combat Terrorism; and badist AU Member States in building their counter-terrorism capacity.

Its mandate included conducting research, badysis and studies on the situation of terrorism and terrorist groups in Africa, maintaining a database on terrorism, centralizing information on terrorism and sharing it with member states. 39; DU.

The African Center conducts evaluation missions in various AU member states to verify their counterterrorism capacity and their compliance with international legal instruments, and then provides guidance on what to do. it should be done.

As part of its capacity-building activities, the African Center organizes seminars, workshops and training sessions on counter-terrorism issues for Member States and facilitates the drafting of legislation, strategies and strategies. related anti-terrorism action plans.