Introduction
In 2014, the UN Security Council addressed in multiple
studies and reports the threat posed by terrorist groups that
occupy territory and commit atrocities against civilians, such as
the ‘Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS)’ and Boko Haram.1
Today, terrorism in all forms and manifestations constitutes one
of the most serious threats to international peace and security. The UN has stated that member states need to address the
conditions that contribute to the spread of terrorism, and then
work towards conflict resolution, while denying terrorist groups
the ability to build local networks and establish safe havens.
The UN has called for all member states to address the growing
threat posed by terrorism.2
This paper provides an overview of the proliferation of terrorism in Africa, and takes a close look at anti-terrorism peace
operations in Africa, especially African Union Mission in
Somalia (AMISOM) and African-led International Support
Mission to Mali (AFISMA). Through these observations, the
paper highlights the emergence of anti-terrorism practices in
support of peace support operations. The paper also considers
the prospects for the African Standby Force (ASF), limits of
UNPKO’s anti-terrorism operational capability, and reconsiders
the division of labor in UNPKO peace support operation.
Diffusion and Growing Terrorism in Africa
Africa has borne witness to a rapid expansion of Islamic terrorists and terrorist acts. These acts can be classified into three
major groups and areas. The first is Al-Shabaab in Somalia.
Al-Shabaab is a radical Sunni group, which pledges allegiance to
al-Qaeda, and its’ terrorist tactics generally consists of employing bombs in Somalia and neighboring countries. AMISOM’s
primary mandate is to reduce the threat of Al-Shabaab in Somalia. To counter their efforts, Al-Shabaab conducted bombings
against targets in Kenya and Uganda, as both countries have dispatched troops to support the AMISOM mission in the past. In
September 2013, gunmen of Al-Shabaab burst into a shopping
mall in Nairobi, tossed grenades and indiscriminately targeted
shoppers with small arms fire, leaving at least 68 people dead,
and more than 175 injured.3 Their terrorist targets include the
Government of Somalia and foreign people in Somalia.
The second major Islamic terrorist group is Boko Haram, also
a Sunni terrorist group, which mainly operates in northern
Nigeria. Boko Haram has primarily targeted Christian churches,
police and police stations, governmental organization and UN
facilities. In 2014, Boko Haram kidnapped the wife of Cameroon’s vice Prime Minister and also a local religious leader in
a separate raid in Cameroon.4 In another case, they abducted
more than 200 female students in Nigeria in April 2014. It is
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reported that the abducted girls are forced to marry Boko Haram fighters, and participate in combat operations and suicide
bomber attacks.5 Boko Haram’s intent is to establish an islamic
state in Nigeria. Similar to the Islamic State in Iraq and the
Levant (IS), Boko Haram released videos of executions on the
internet in March 2015, during which they displayed the ‘black
flag’ as does ISIL.
The third major terrorist group is al-Qaida in the Islamic
Maghreb (AQIM) based in Algeria. AQIM, another extremist
Sunni organization, has pledged allegiance to al-Qaeda. AQIM
is active mainly in Niger, Mali and Mauritania. Ansar Eddine
(AE), a splinter group of AQIM, received funds and military
support from AQIM, while AQIM seized northern Mali in
2012. Based on the request by Mali’s interim government,
France launched a military intervention in Mali to eliminate
the rebels. The AFISMA forces deployed to Mali in coordination with French forces, which accelerated offensive operations
against AQIM and AE.6 French and AFISMA forces succeeded
in restoring the peace in Mali, and forced AQIM and AE elements to withdraw to northern and border areas within Algeria.
However, AQIM and AE are still active in Mali. A splinter
group of AQIM captured and took hostages at a gas facility at
In-Amenas in Algeria in January 2013, leaving 38 personnel
dead from the hostage crisis.7
In addition to these three major groups, there are some