When al Shabaab started its terrorist campaigns in Somalia, it was a local issue that many overlooked because it was a new thing in the region. Again, when the US embassies in Dar and Nairobi were attacked by al Qaeda in 1998, slowly the narrower perception about terrorism started to change and shift. The final straw came in 2001 after the same al Qaeda attacked and brought down America’s symbol of hegemony, the twin towers in downtown New York. What followed thereafter is the story of another day.
Let us look at how slowly but looming terrorism is creeping in EAC. Three countries among six members of the EAC, namely Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda know first-hand the pangs and twangs of terrorism. Close to the EAC now Mozambique is embroiled in a cat-rat battle. Islamist militants known as Ahlu Sunnah Wa-Jama, meaning the “followers of the prophetic tradition” (Bloomberg, August 20, 2018) linked to an Arabic terrorist group, the Islamic State (IS), attacked the town of Palma, killed hundreds and left thousands displaced. The Palma was attacked simply because the biggest gas deposits that are currently in the process of developing are in the area. Thus, for militants, attacking such an area sends a message to its followers that it seriously means business. Because of these attacks many refugees fled to Tanzania; and there is unconfirmed news that some Tanzanian villages along the border have already been attacked. This means, Tanzania will soon be pulled into the conflict provided that it also has gas reserves close to those of Mozambique.
Considering what transpired in Mozambique and the way we’ve viewed terrorism as a specific countries problem, we need to rethink our stance on it. For, there are reasons that’ve somethings to do with our countries and governments, which need to be fixed in order to arrest or mitigate the reasons that help terrorist groups to recruit our youth to join them to destabilise and destroy our countries through destroying properties, frustrating investment and insecurity resulting from lack of peace, which are, among others, central ingredients for development of any country and people.
Importantly, what unifies all terrorist groups is their drive to achieve political goal or power by way of manipulations and violence. To do so, such groups, particularly sectarian ones, place God on the top of everything they do in order to justify whatever they do which they say is a divinely mandate ordained by their dictatorship or God. In so doing, such group persuade many ignorant and poor people that they can bring about changes and improvements in life the governments failed to bring.
Let us look at how slowly but looming terrorism is creeping in EAC. Three countries among six members of the EAC, namely Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda know first-hand the pangs and twangs of terrorism. Close to the EAC now Mozambique is embroiled in a cat-rat battle. Islamist militants known as Ahlu Sunnah Wa-Jama, meaning the “followers of the prophetic tradition” (Bloomberg, August 20, 2018) linked to an Arabic terrorist group, the Islamic State (IS), attacked the town of Palma, killed hundreds and left thousands displaced. The Palma was attacked simply because the biggest gas deposits that are currently in the process of developing are in the area. Thus, for militants, attacking such an area sends a message to its followers that it seriously means business. Because of these attacks many refugees fled to Tanzania; and there is unconfirmed news that some Tanzanian villages along the border have already been attacked. This means, Tanzania will soon be pulled into the conflict provided that it also has gas reserves close to those of Mozambique.
Considering what transpired in Mozambique and the way we’ve viewed terrorism as a specific countries problem, we need to rethink our stance on it. For, there are reasons that’ve somethings to do with our countries and governments, which need to be fixed in order to arrest or mitigate the reasons that help terrorist groups to recruit our youth to join them to destabilise and destroy our countries through destroying properties, frustrating investment and insecurity resulting from lack of peace, which are, among others, central ingredients for development of any country and people.
Importantly, what unifies all terrorist groups is their drive to achieve political goal or power by way of manipulations and violence. To do so, such groups, particularly sectarian ones, place God on the top of everything they do in order to justify whatever they do which they say is a divinely mandate ordained by their dictatorship or God. In so doing, such group persuade many ignorant and poor people that they can bring about changes and improvements in life the governments failed to bring.
As well, such groups attract political swashbucklers who want to surreptitiously use them to reach their political goals. When such political opportunists, who are elites, join such groups, they also know how they aim at using them to meet their goals with the idea in mind of deposing them soon after actualising their goals. Essentially, this is the marriage between two foes or cons who use each other cautiously. It is like the business wherein on con sells fake gold to end up receiving fake money from another con he wants to dupe.
Indeed, terrorism has justified assertion that if Karl Marx were alive today, he’d have much to add to his great observation that religion is the opium of the people that, indeed, drugs them. Such an avowal applies nicely to modern-time terrorism as it is hidden ideological get-up-and-go. And you can see this in the fact that many of the founders of the modern-time terrorist groups, the Assassins (Islamic group) and Zealots (Christian group) in approx.. 74CE, were either illiterate or semiliterate in the world issues in general. Although two major religions, Christianity and Islam are used to make and preach peace, they need to own it that they are the harbingers of terrorism that is currently disturbing the world. Because of this origin, modern time terrorist groups seem to use old formulas seeking to solve new problems, which cannot work in the modern world. And, indeed, that’s why this we strongly argue that terrorist groups fight an unwinnable war they purposely know so as to cause destructions and sufferings as the way of assuaging themselves. For, either way, in their wars, they have nothing to lose but to give it a shot under the pretext of doing God’s work.
Although nobody has ever met or seen God, methinks no sane God–who is known to be a loving and the most merciful creator–would, under whatever circumstances, sanction destruction and megalomania like terrorism to be applied on the creators’ people that religions assert God created and loves. As well, no sane God can use mortals to fight for his or her cause while he or she is immortal.
Given that the major aim of this piece, inter alia, is to reconnoitre terrorism in Africa, it therefore shan’t delve deeper into other continents vis-à-vis the emergency of terrorism or terrorist groups in the world as a whole. Instead, the emphasis is to concentrate on Africa by however only delving into the evolution of terrorism globally in a nutshell. As argued above, the major aim of any terrorist group is to use violence to make a political statement aimed at creating fear to the general public and thereby forces the authorities to either comply with its demands or act repressively, thereby enabling terrorist groups to get sympathy from the general population.
In a nutshell, this is the history of terrorism that we know of today. It has been there. However, it got tractions or slipped into oblivion depending on the realpolitik of the day. Many terrorist incidents were not as famously known as it currently is today. This is because, sometimes back, mass media were not as globalised as it currently is. What’s never changed, however, from the birth of terrorism, is the commission of brutalities and spreading fear terrorism causes to the general public.
Indeed, terrorism has justified assertion that if Karl Marx were alive today, he’d have much to add to his great observation that religion is the opium of the people that, indeed, drugs them. Such an avowal applies nicely to modern-time terrorism as it is hidden ideological get-up-and-go. And you can see this in the fact that many of the founders of the modern-time terrorist groups, the Assassins (Islamic group) and Zealots (Christian group) in approx.. 74CE, were either illiterate or semiliterate in the world issues in general. Although two major religions, Christianity and Islam are used to make and preach peace, they need to own it that they are the harbingers of terrorism that is currently disturbing the world. Because of this origin, modern time terrorist groups seem to use old formulas seeking to solve new problems, which cannot work in the modern world. And, indeed, that’s why this we strongly argue that terrorist groups fight an unwinnable war they purposely know so as to cause destructions and sufferings as the way of assuaging themselves. For, either way, in their wars, they have nothing to lose but to give it a shot under the pretext of doing God’s work.
Although nobody has ever met or seen God, methinks no sane God–who is known to be a loving and the most merciful creator–would, under whatever circumstances, sanction destruction and megalomania like terrorism to be applied on the creators’ people that religions assert God created and loves. As well, no sane God can use mortals to fight for his or her cause while he or she is immortal.
Given that the major aim of this piece, inter alia, is to reconnoitre terrorism in Africa, it therefore shan’t delve deeper into other continents vis-à-vis the emergency of terrorism or terrorist groups in the world as a whole. Instead, the emphasis is to concentrate on Africa by however only delving into the evolution of terrorism globally in a nutshell. As argued above, the major aim of any terrorist group is to use violence to make a political statement aimed at creating fear to the general public and thereby forces the authorities to either comply with its demands or act repressively, thereby enabling terrorist groups to get sympathy from the general population.
In a nutshell, this is the history of terrorism that we know of today. It has been there. However, it got tractions or slipped into oblivion depending on the realpolitik of the day. Many terrorist incidents were not as famously known as it currently is today. This is because, sometimes back, mass media were not as globalised as it currently is. What’s never changed, however, from the birth of terrorism, is the commission of brutalities and spreading fear terrorism causes to the general public.
Arguably, the invention of internet’s changed the ways the world disseminates and gets information. Anybody with a gadget can do what’s a venue for professionals without necessarily being a professional. The arrival of free media such as Facebook, YouTube and many more have enhanced the fastest and widest dissemination of the information so as to author the era of free movement of uncensored information that many modern-terrorist groups use.
Now, let’s look at the causes of terrorism that can be blamed on governments. Firstly, bad governance in many countries is to blame. Bad governments have failed to solve the problems of their people so as to force some of them to be duped into partaking of terrorism with the hope of getting the answers their governments failed to provide or fulfilling the promises they made to them. Secondly, bad governance is always defined by many things the major one being corruption. Corrupt governments use public funds and resources greedily and unreasonable so as to create poverty that forces ignorant people, especially youth, to seek other means to survive even if such means are detriment to them and others.
In sum, if our countries want to do away with terrorism and its argumentative effects for good, must collectively address and arrest the root causes as discussed above. Terrorism isn’t a national but an international menace all countries need to practically fight collectively. Who’d think that Mozambique whose population of Muslim is small would suffer what it is now facing? Essentially, those joining Islamic terrorist groups are not only Muslims but poor young people whom terrorist group promise better life their government arrested or failed to deliver.
Now, let’s look at the causes of terrorism that can be blamed on governments. Firstly, bad governance in many countries is to blame. Bad governments have failed to solve the problems of their people so as to force some of them to be duped into partaking of terrorism with the hope of getting the answers their governments failed to provide or fulfilling the promises they made to them. Secondly, bad governance is always defined by many things the major one being corruption. Corrupt governments use public funds and resources greedily and unreasonable so as to create poverty that forces ignorant people, especially youth, to seek other means to survive even if such means are detriment to them and others.
In sum, if our countries want to do away with terrorism and its argumentative effects for good, must collectively address and arrest the root causes as discussed above. Terrorism isn’t a national but an international menace all countries need to practically fight collectively. Who’d think that Mozambique whose population of Muslim is small would suffer what it is now facing? Essentially, those joining Islamic terrorist groups are not only Muslims but poor young people whom terrorist group promise better life their government arrested or failed to deliver.
Source: African Executive Magazine.
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