Terrorism in Africa should be confronted with urgency - Experts

Accra, Nov. 5, GNA - Domestic terrorism in Africa should be confronted with the same urgency as international terrorism because it poses an equally serious threat to human security on the continent, African researchers and security analysts suggested on Monday. They advocated the need for African states to effectively address the root causes of conflicts across the continent to avoid domestic terrorism, because it was creating humanitarian crises, undermining the general livelihoods of communities and retarding development. The researchers and analysts who were speaking at the opening of a two-day workshop in Accra on Domestic Terrorism in Africa contended that domestic terrorism was a derivative of internal conflicts that were not managed properly and that experiences from around the continent had shown that domestic terrorism was having devastating economic, social and political consequences in Africa.

They were of the view that the emergence of vigilantes and militant groups in various flash points on the continent were manifestations of the continent breeding dysfunctional states. Thus there was the need for African governments to develop appropriate mechanisms to deal with such upheavals since such militant/vigilante groups often fought for a cause to ensure that they were not marginalized socially, economically or politically, the participants observed.

The workshop, being orgnaised by the South African-based Institute for Security Studies (ISS), a leading African human security research institution, brings together experts and scholars from all the regions of Africa and beyond in order to assess how various countries have dealt with threats and incidents of domestic terrorism. The seminar is also expected to create an understanding of the social, economic and political consequences of domestic terrorism in Africa on development.

Dr Thomas Imobighe, Director of the Centre for Strategic and Development Studies of Ambrose Alli Univeristy in Nigeria, noted that all countries were potential victims of terrorism. He said terrorism thrived in environments of conflict, adding that it was a badly managed conflict that escalated into terrorism. Dr Imobighe observed that domestic terrorism was often trans-national in nature because the groups involved tended to have international links, most of the time attacking their country's ancillary interests outside their borders.

Dr Oshita Oshita, Director of Research and Policy Analysis at the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution in Nigeria, called for more dialogue between government and aggrieved groups in conflict zones so that there would be understanding among all parties. He noted that the stance by most states to minimize communication in conflict was a negative approach to terrorism, because such terrorist groups had fundamental concerns, which should be effectively addressed through dialogue.

Andrews Atta-Asamoah, a research associate at the Conflict Prevention, Management and Resolution Department of the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping and Training Centre, called on stakeholders to address both domestic and trans-national terrorism since all countries could suffer directly or indirectly from such acts because "Terrorism anywhere is terrorism everywhere". The participants would be discussing the possibility of linkages between domestic and transnational terrorism to address the phenomenon in order to gain a deeper and comprehensive understanding of terrorism on the continent and efforts to combat and prevent it.