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Africa: Lack of Jobs is the Main Driver of Violent Extremism in Sub-Saharan Africa - Report
UN News, 7 February 2023
A lack of job opportunities is the leading factor driving people to join fast-growing violent extremist groups in sub-Saharan Africa, according to a new report released by the UN… Read more »
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Somalia: An Ocean of Weapons - Arms Smuggling to Somalia
ISS, 7 February 2023
Rather than relying on foreign navies, Horn of Africa countries must lead in stemming illicit arms inflows. Read more »
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Africa: Africa's Approach to Countering Terrorism Still Misses the Mark
ISS, 11 January 2023
After two decades of violent extremism, fundamental elements in preventing the threat remain absent from AU plans. Read more »
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Burkina Faso: Risks of Burkina Faso's New Military Approach to Terrorism
ISS, 9 January 2023
Without proper supervision and control, the use of 50 000 armed civilian auxiliaries could aggravate security problems. Read more »
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Nigeria: Violent Extremism Could Beckon in North-Western Nigeria If Local Dynamics Are Ignored
The Conversation Africa, 4 December 2022
In January 2022, in a bid to stem a tide of violent attacks and kidnappings in north-western Nigeria, the government labelled the armed groups involved in the violence… Read more »
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Ghana: Collaborate to Stop Extremism, Terrorism
Ghanaian Times, 24 September 2022
The country's Minister of National Security, Albert Kan-Dapaah, has announced that 159 terrorist and extremist attacks occurred in the Sahel and West Africa sub-region from July 1… Read more »
Lack of Jobs is 'Main Driver' of Terrorism in Sub-Saharan Africa
Hope of finding work is the leading factor driving people to join fast-growing violent extremist groups in Sub-Saharan Africa, according to a new report, Journey to Extremism in Africa: Pathways to Recruitment and Disengagement, by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
In 2021, the UNDP interviewed nearly 2 200 people across eight countries torn by violence - Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Somalia, and Sudan. The interviews included nearly 1 200 former members of extremist groups, of whom nearly 900 had joined voluntarily while the others had been coerced. Of those who had voluntarily joined, 40% said the prospect of paid work had been their primary motive, UNDP said in a report.
Religious motivations and being able to be with family or friends were the other reasons for joining.
The report also identified factors that drive recruits to leave armed groups, such as unmet financial expectations, or a lack of trust in the group's leadership.
InFocus
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The Nigerian state has come under severe security stress in recent times. It has faced multiple national security threats: jihadist groups in the north-east; armed ... Read more »
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The African Union (AU) will hold an Extraordinary Summit focusing on the challenges of terrorism and violent extremism in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, from the May 28, 2022, with a ... Read more »
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Research group Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) has identified a link between climate change and extremism in Mali. This report detailed how environmental ... Read more »
