Al-Qaeda moves to build network in North Africa

Nahla Abdel Moneim

Al-Qaeda has recently been trying to ferociously expand its presence in African countries, imposing a number of alleged states that work for the terrorist organization’s leaders, who are sheltering in the mountains of Afghanistan.

In their book “Al Qaeda: The Transformation of Terrorism in the Middle East and North Africa”, Denise N. Baken, a lecturer at George Mason University who specializes in African affairs, and Ioannis Mantzikos, a Saharan affairs researcher at the same university, examine the possible future factors and consequences of this parallel expansion similar to that in the Arabian Peninsula, particularly in Yemen.

The book attempts to answer some questions about the relationships within al-Qaeda and how it managed to build a base in Africa bypassing the war launched by the United States in Afghanistan. It also looks at how the organization’s main leadership and its followers in different parts of the world communicate with each other and the role of various means of communication and technological developments in this direction, along with the measures that the international community must take to repel this expansion as quickly as possible. What are the material and humanitarian costs that the world may incur in this war?

Communication technology

The researchers at George Mason University focus on the technological revolution in the world of communication and al-Qaeda’s adaptation to its development to increase the organization’s spread and communication among its elements in different areas, facilitating the transfer of orders and movements. This clearly shows evidence of expansion, operations, attainment of arms, and geographically narrow economic operations, but it is wide-ranging, such as the Somali coal mined by al-Shabaab, while its physical impact reaches Iran and the movement’s leaders in Afghanistan.

The book refers to the power of recruitment and the inclusion of elements in the ranks of the organization more broadly through its advanced communications network that enables the organization to prepare material to incite elements to belong to the organization, as well as to promote al-Qaeda’s strength and spread, which brings it more elements and funds for operations that favor major powers who benefit from the terrorist presence.

Doctrine and expansion

“Al Qaeda: The Transformation of Terrorism in the Middle East and North Africa” mainly focuses on the factor of faith as a main pillar in the inclusion of elements in extremist organizations, but the broader expansion and influence remain linked to those inspired by ideas, most notably from the viewpoint of Brotherhood theorist Sayyid Qutb and Abu al-Ala al-Maududi, who developed the idea of global terrorism.

Through the books of Sayyid Qutb and his ideas about establishing Islamist organizations around the world as the most appropriate doctrine for leading “ignorant societies”, terrorist elements derived the necessity and justification for expanding their positions to more than one place, which the organization’s leaders rely on to persuade followers to build new strongholds. According to the researchers, this terrorist doctrine, al-Qaeda’s adaptation to technological developments in communications and information technology, and security being overlooked by some major international powers with the same ambitions in the region are all major factors contributing to al-Qaeda’s expansion in North Africa, regardless of the war in Afghanistan.