A reading on the activity of terrorist organizations in Africa during May 2023

Mahmoud al-Batakoushi

The anti-terrorism strategies followed by the countries of Africa have succeeded in curbing the activity of terrorist elements to a large extent, as the recent period witnessed a decline in their criminal operations. The month of May 2023 recorded a relative decrease compared to April, at a rate of 18.9%, where 30 terrorist operations took place, resulting in 258 dead, 33 injured, and 33 kidnapped, while the number of operations in April reached 37, leaving 432 dead, 118 injured, and 32 kidnapped.

According to a study prepared by the Al-Azhar Observatory for Combating Terrorism, the African Sahel region ranked first in terms of the number of victims. It witnessed 10 terrorist attacks, equivalent to 33.3% of the total number of terrorist operations carried out by terrorist organizations on the continent during the month, leaving 135 dead and 16 injured. Burkina Faso witnessed seven terrorist operations, in which 120 people were killed, and Mali suffered two attacks that killed six and wounded 16. As for Niger, it witnessed a single operation that killed nine without any injured. Due to the enormity of the security challenges facing the Sahel countries, extremist organizations continue to launch large-scale attacks against civilian and military targets, especially the tri-border area of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, which threatens to exacerbate the already dire humanitarian situation due to the security crisis.

Meanwhile, the West Africa region came in second place in terms of the number of deaths, as ISIS West Africa and Boko Haram carried out five terrorist operations, equivalent to 16.6% of the total number of terrorist operations, all of which were centered in Nigeria, resulting in 56 deaths and 12 injured, as well as the kidnapping of 33.

According to the Al-Azhar Observatory, the bloody battles taking place between ISIS West Africa and Boko Haram forced many Boko Haram fighters to surrender, and they have become weak since the death of their leader, Abubakar Shekau, which led to a decline in their terrorist operations.

With regard to the Central African region, it came in third place in terms of the number of deaths. The region was subjected to five terrorist attacks, equivalent to 16.6% of the total number of terrorist operations, all of which resulted in 44 deaths, without any wounded. The Democratic Republic of the Congo was subjected to two attacks, which were claimed by the Allied Democratic Forces affiliated with ISIS, resulting in 22 deaths, and Cameroon was subjected to two similar attacks, in which five civilians were killed, while Chad was subjected to one terrorist operation that killed 17 people.

East Africa ranked fourth in terms of the number of victims, where it witnessed 10 terrorist attacks, equivalent to 33.3% of the total number of terrorist operations, leading to the death of 23 and the wounding of five others. Somalia alone was subjected to six attacks, which resulted in the death of 23 and the injury of three, while Kenya was subjected to two attacks that resulted in the injury of two. This came as a result of the clampdown on the terrorist Al-Shabaab movement by the Somali security forces and international partners. Kenya plays a prominent role in eliminating the terrorist movement, which is linked to al-Qaeda, and its efforts aimed at disrupting the movement’s operations and then gradually eliminating it.

The study by the Al-Azhar Observatory for Combating Terrorism appreciated the efforts of African countries in trying to defeat extremism, as the death toll of terrorist elements reached 477, with 1,466 detainees, in addition to the surrender of 520 terrorist elements. In the Sahel region, efforts to combat terrorist organizations led to the neutralization of 165 terrorist elements and the arrest of 1,400. At least 110 terrorists were killed in Burkina Faso, as the government targets rebel organizations in the north and south of the West African country with air strikes, and the Nigerien army managed to eliminate 55 terrorists and arrest 1,400.

In the east of the continent, specifically in Somalia, the government killed 235 Al-Shabaab fighters and arrested 13, while a terrorist surrendered voluntarily to the army forces, and the Kenyan army managed to arrest three of the movement’s terrorists. In the west of the continent, the Nigerian army managed to liquidate 55 terrorists from ISIS West Africa and Boko Haram, and 50 others were arrested, while 519 surrendered and handed over their weapons to the army forces. In the Central African region, the efforts of the Congolese security forces resulted in the liquidation of 20 terrorists, while Cameroon liquidated two others.