Today, terrorism is among the top international threats and the exercise of radicalization is on the rise and civilization is hurting. Led by the misconception of liberalization, rebellious groups are cultivating violence against the public. Usually, these groups are Islamic militants honoring a misleading perception of Islamic faith. Since 9/11 attack, global Jihad is gaining momentum and successfully penetrating and operating in developing regions such as West Africa. This part of the African continent has fell prey to extremism by terror groups and the main ones include Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), a part of the dreaded Al-Qaeda, Islamic State militant group (ISIS) and Boko Haram.
This paper will be guided by the following hypothesis, which will be validated by undertaking an in-depth study and analysis of the issues causing terrorism in West Africa.
Null Hypothesis
H1a – Increased radicalization is a major cause of increase in terrorism in West Africa.
H0a – Radicalization is not a major cause of terrorism in West Africa.
H1b - underdevelopment and poor governance have led to increase in terrorism in West Africa.
H1b – underdevelopment and poor governance have not led to increased terrorism in West Africa.
The groups have been responsible for heinous acts in countries such as Mali, Burkina Faso and Nigeria. Boko Haram is on a “mission” to overturn the Nigerian government and promote an Islamic state (Marc). The blood-thirsty group claims that Nigeria is presided by non-believers and it expresses its frustrations through assassinations, bombing and abductions. Boko Haram also opposes Western educations in the social and political arenas. On the other end, AQIM and ISIS continue to nurture its violent hostility against the West as it is the norm.
Terrorism in West Africa is bred by a combination of underdevelopment and poor governance. This region has a history of instability in almost all facets of growth and development. In fact, West Africa is among the most economic depressed areas in the world. Cases of poverty and insecurity are rampant in spite of the region hosting valuable natural resources like oil. People continue to blame the government for poorly governed resources and the disgruntled segment of the population is prone to violence. The regions have experienced coups among other forms of government opposition owing to marginalization. A group like Boko Haram justifies their actions by citing abusive security forces and the corruption residing in the Nigerian government (Dijxhorn, 'Funmi Olonisakin and James). The Nigerian government has also created conflict between the Muslims in the North and the Christians in the south thus creating a rift in the economy.
Terror groups take advantage of the gaps spurred by poor governance and under-development. That is why the militants are violently reacting to local concerns such as the lack of Malian government to establish solid investments and state presence in the North part which is a home to a majority of Muslims (Kalu, Kelechi Amihe and George). Hence, factors like poverty and unemployment are not only increasing vulnerability to extremist ideologies but also stimulating violence. On the other hand, leaders do not uphold sound governance. They appear to exercise oppressions even in events of negotiations. Consequently, there is mistrust between the government and community. The case is especially so given that the governments focus more on tribes and clans than the state as a whole. As expected, Islamic militants undertake terrorist acts as a mean of voicing out their existence and need for incorporation.
Intervention by other countries, especially the developed world, appears to shift violence from one country to another. Although the developed countries may come to the aid of this region, it does not augur well for the future because the Islamic insurgents are masters of revenge. For example, the French contribution to driving the rebellious groups from the North of Mali saw the perverts retaliate by launching an attack on an Algeria gas plant (Paul). Hence, there is worry that even driving the groups away will cause harm to areas they will flee to inhabit. The groups have specialized in exploiting the dire situations in this developing region. Since they are heavily sponsored, they infiltrate even the military camps of these countries. In the case of an attack on soft targets like hotels and resorts, the groups are almost guaranteed a win. Most of these places are not fortified enough to thwart terrorist acts, particularly those of a global scale.
As such, this paper aims at discussing these causes in breadth and depth. It will offer fine details on outlined factors encouraging terrorism to establish a ground on which West Africa can overturn the situation and overpower the influence of these groups. The region has the capacity of safeguarding itself and its population by employing transformational leadership. Insight on these causes will serve as a compelling force towards upholding accountability at all levels ranging from the government to the public.
Works Cited
“DENOUNCING TERRORIST ATTACKS IN WEST AFRICA, SECURITY COUNCIL STRESSES NEED TO ADDRESS ROOT CAUSES." States News Service 2017: Academic OneFile. Web. 1 Feb. 2017.
Dijxhorn, Ernst, 'Funmi Olonisakin, and James Gow. Militancy And Violence In West Africa : Religion, Politics And Radicalisation. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge, 2013. Discovery eBooks. Web. 1 Feb. 2017.
Kalu, Kelechi Amihe, and George Klay Kieh. West Africa And The U.S. War On Terror. London: Routledge, 2013. Discovery eBooks. Web. 1 Feb. 2017.
Marc, Alexandre, et al. The Challenge Of Stability And Security In West Africa. Washington, D.C.: World Bank Publications, 2015. Discovery eBooks. Web. 1 Feb. 2017.
Paul E., Lovejoy. Jihād In West Africa During The Age Of Revolutions. Athens, OH: Ohio University Press, 2016. Discovery eBooks. Web. 1 Feb. 2017.
"Poverty and Corruption - Causes of Terrorism in West Africa." Africa News Service 2016: Business Insights: Essentials. Web. 1 Feb. 2017.
