Al-Qaeda intensifies terrorist attacks in Africa

Nahla Abdel Moneim

Al-Qaeda terrorist organization is banking on its terrorist branches and arms in Africa because of its strategic importance boost its influence on the continent.

Al-Qaeda is seeking to mobilize and recruit more and more terrorists on the back of growing competition with its rival, ISIS, in Africa. It also wants to have alternative hotspots in Africa if it loses its main strongholds elsewhere.

Al-Qaeda revealed on its Telegram outlet its operations in March 2020 in the eastern, western and central African countries.

Al-Qaeda said its terrorist operations targeted three main territories in east, west and central Africa. The terrorist organization carried out 130 and 7 operations in Somalia and Kenya respectively.

In Mali and Burkina Faso, al-Qaeda carried out 8 and 2 operations, respectively. In Niger, the terrorist organization carried out one operation.

Moreover, money controls the terrorist movements as it is essential for spending on armed elements, living, buying arms and securing the needs of terrorist operations. In fact, the leading international powers are using these terrorist groups to seize the wealth of these countries in what may described as “new international colonization”.

For instance, Iran benefits from high-quality Somali coal. A United Nations report issued on October 13, 2018, said that Iran exported Somali coal extracted by al-Shabaab Movement, pointing out that profits had exceeded hundreds of millions of dollars annually.

Burkina Faso, which is famous for its gold and diamond mines, has been targeted by al-Qaeda. The same applies to Central Africa, where discoveries of natural resources have been on the rise.