A new report by the U.N.’s international development agency says Sub-Saharan is now the new global epicenter of ferocious Islamic extremism where people are increasingly joining due to economic factors.
According to the United Nations International Development Agency (UNDP) released on Tuesday, there has been a 57% reduction in the number of people joining extremist groups for religious purposes instead, a number of persons summing up to 92% of new recruits to these groups are joining for reasons such as a more suitable livelihood as compared to those interviewed in a previous report released in 2017,
Accordingly, in a recent report, approximately 2,200 individuals were interviewed in eight African countries namely: Nigeria, Somalia, Cameroon, Sudan, Chad, Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso. Among those interviewed, about a thousand of them are ex-members of violent extremist groups, whether forced or voluntarily.
The UNDP report further specified that at least 4,155 attacks across Africa have been documented since 2017 at which 18,417 deaths were recorded in Africa with Somalia ranking number one in casualties.
Those ex-members interviewed were from various extremist groups across the African continent including Boko Haram in Nigeria, al-Shabab in Somalia, which pledges allegiance to al-Qaida, and in West Africa Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimeen, or JNIM, which is allied to the Islamic State group.
In a press briefing ahead of the launch of the report, UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner stated “Sub-Saharan Africa has become the new global epicenter of violent extremism with 48% of global terrorism deaths in 2021”
Steiner further stated that “Military campaigns to stamp out extremism are not proving to be successful, “Security-driven counter-terrorism responses are often costly and minimally effective, yet investments in preventive approaches to violent extremism are woefully inadequate,” he said.
“The social contract between states and citizens must be reinvigorated to tackle root causes of violent extremism.”
According to the report about 71% of those who became part of extremist groups were controlled by human rights abusers and state security forces, such as the killings or arrests of family members and due to such alleged brutality and feeble judicial systems in some Sub-Saharan countries victims are left with little or no hope for equity. The UNDP report suggests better basic needs for all including child welfare, education, and quality livelihoods to avert people from joining those harmful groups. It also urged the creation of more exit opportunities and investment in rehabilitation and community-based reintegration services because
Feature Photo Caption and Credit: Militiamen from the Ansar Dine Islamic group, who said they had come from Niger and Mauritania, ride on a vehicle at Kidal in Northeastern Mali in this 16 June 2012 file photo. Mali Crisis/Timbuktu Reuters/ Adama Diarra/Files
