Voice of America
07 Feb 2023, 22:35 GMT+10
NAIROBI - The new global epicenter of violent Islamic extremism is sub-Saharan Africa where people are increasingly joining because of economic factors and less for religious ones, says a new report by the U.N.'s international development agency.
A significant increase of 92% of new recruits to extremist groups are joining for better livelihoods compared to the motivations of those interviewed in a previous report released in 2017, according to the UNDP report released on Tuesday.
Many Africans' lives have been badly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, high inflation, and climate change, said the report.
There has been a 57% decrease in the number of people joining extremist groups for religious reasons, it said.
Nearly 2,200 people were interviewed for the report in eight African countries: Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Somalia, and Sudan. More than 1,000 interviewees are former members of violent extremist groups, both voluntary and forced recruits, said the report.
At least 4,155 attacks across Africa were documented since in 2017, said the report. In these attacks, 18,417 deaths were recorded in the continent with Somalia accounting for the largest number of fatalities.
The Somali government is currently carrying out what has been described as the most significant offensive against the al-Shabab extremist group in more than a decade.
Those interviewed were drawn from various extremist groups across the 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.
``Sub-Saharan Africa has become the new global epicenter 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.
This 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.''
About 71% of those who joined extremist groups were influenced by human rights abuses by state security forces, such as the killings or arrests of family members, said the report.
Security forces in some sub-Saharan countries have been accused of brutality and extrajudicial killings and weak judicial systems give victims little hope for justice, it said.
Nigeria's Boko Haram and its offshoot, the Islamic State in West Africa Province, have grown in influence by using money to entice impoverished communities, Hassan Chibok, a community leader in Nigeria's Borno state where the conflict is concentrated told The Associated Press in a separate interview.
Those who left the extremist groups cited unmet expectations, particularly the lack of sustained financial benefits, and an absence of trust in extremist leaders as their main reasons for quitting.
``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.''
The UNDP report recommends better basic services including child welfare, education, and quality livelihoods to prevent people from voluntarily joining extremist groups. It also urged the creation of more exit opportunities and investment in rehabilitation and community-based reintegration services.
Get a daily dose of Orlando Echo news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Orlando Echo.
More InformationMOUNT PLEASANT, Michigan: This week, a judge sentenced a Michigan man who kept his dead wife's body in a freezer ...
ATLANTA, Georgia: After two consecutive years of declines mainly caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, babies born in the U.S. in ...
The number of soldiers in the Israeli army killed in the current Israel-Hamas war has topped 400. Three hundred and ...
MOSCOW, Russia: A Russian court has extended the detention of Evan Gershkovich, a U.S. reporter for the Wall Street Journal, ...
Israel intensified its deadly bombardment of the Gaza Strip Saturday as renewed fighting with Hamas entered a second day following ...
ARLINGTON, Virginia: This week, the conservative U.S. political network Americans for Prosperity Action (AFP Action), led by billionaire Charles Koch, ...
WASHINGTON D.C.: After a House Ethics Committee report found substantial evidence that he broke the law, New York Republican representative ...
This campaign explores ice hockey players' influence and popularity beyond their National Hockey League (NHL) careers. The goal was to ...
(Photo credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports) Before heading to Phoenix to play Grand Canyon on Tuesday, San Diego State jumped ...
A former U.S. ambassador to Bolivia, Manuel Rocha, has been charged with spying for Cuba since at least 1981.Rocha, 73, ...
(Photo credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports) South Carolina and UCLA held steady in the top two positions in The ...
(Photo credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports) Gonzaga thrived the past three seasons with the superstar-led attack featuring Drew Timme. Now ...