Sub-Saharan Africa Now Epicentre Of Extremism - Report

A global report unveiled on Tuesday, February 7, 2023, has revealed that Sub-Saharan Africa is now the new epicentre of extremism with 48% of global terrorism deaths. 

For the report, about 2,200 people were interviewed in eight African countries: Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Somalia, and Sadan.

According to the research, over 1,000 interviewees are former members of violent extremist groups, both voluntary and coerced recruitment.

According to research by the United Nations' international development agency, Sub-Saharan Africa is the new worldwide epicentre of violent Islamic extremism, with people increasingly joining due to economic reasons.

According to the report, the number of persons joining extremist groups for religious reasons has decreased by 57%.

According to a UNDP report released on Tuesday, a considerable increase of 92% of recruits to extremist groups are joining for better lifestyles as compared to the motivations of individuals interviewed in a previous report produced in 2017.

According to the research, the COVID-19 epidemic, rising inflation, and climate change have all harmed the lives of many Africans.

For the report, about 2,200 people were interviewed in eight African countries: Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Somalia, and Sudan.

Over 1,000 respondents are former members of violent extremist groups, both voluntary and coerced recruits.

At least 4,155 incidents have been confirmed across Africa since 2017. 

In these attacks, 18,417 people were killed across the continent, with Somalia having the highest number of casualties.

The Somali government is currently waging the most substantial attack against the al-Shabab extremist group in more than a decade.

Those interviewed came from various extremist groups throughout the continent, including Boko Haram in Nigeria, al-Shabab in Somalia, which vows loyalty to al-Qaida, and Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimeen, or JNIM, in West Africa, which is affiliated with the Islamic State group.

"Sub-Saharan Africa has become the new global epicentre of violent extremism with 48% of global terrorism deaths in 2021," UNDP administrator Achim Steiner said in a press briefing ahead of the report's launch.

The surge in extremism in Africa "not only adversely impacts lives, security, and peace, but also threatens to reverse hard-won development gains for generations to come," he said.

Military campaigns to stamp out extremism are not proving to be successful, said Steiner.

"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 survey, human rights violations by state security forces, such as the killings or arrests of family members, affected approximately 71% of individuals who joined extremist groups.

Security forces in various Sub-Saharan African countries have been accused of cruelty and extrajudicial executions, and victims have little hope of justice, according to the report.

Boko Haram in Nigeria and its branch, the Islamic State in West Africa Province, have grown in power by enticing impoverished people with money.

In a separate interview, Hassan Chibok, a community leader in Nigeria's Borno state, where the conflict is concentrated, told The Associated Press.

Those who left extremist groups cited disappointed expectations, particularly a lack of long-term financial advantages, and a loss of faith in extreme leaders as the primary reasons for their departure.

"Research shows that those who decide to disengage from violent extremism are less likely to rejoin and recruit others," said the report.

"This is why it’s so important to invest in incentives that enable disengagement," said Nirina Kiplagat, a UNDP specialist in preventing violent extremism in Africa. 

"Local communities play a pivotal role in supporting sustainable pathways out of violent extremism, along with national governments' amnesty programs."

To dissuade people from joining extremist groups voluntarily, the UNDP research proposes improving basic services such as child welfare, education, and decent livelihoods.

It also called for increased exit chances as well as funding for rehabilitation and community-based reintegration initiatives.