Lessons
It is evident from the experiences of anti-terrorism and counter-terrorism measures adopted against Boko Haram and al- Shabaab by Nigerian and Kenyan governments respectively that , the use of hard security or a military approach will not always be an effective measure in addressing terrorist threats . Kenya has seen reprisal attacks from al-Shabaab from Somalia . BH , originally a less violent terrorist organization , was transformed into a more formidable violent group as a consequence of the unsanctioned killing of their leader Yusuf . BH ’ s operational focus over time has changed from attacks on churches and mosques to detonating bombs indiscriminately , kidnapping civilians for ransom , improving the effective employment of improvised explosive devices and the capturing and retention of territory . The capture of over 200 girls in Chibok , Nigeria and their ill-treatment , including forcing them into sex and forcible marriages is a consequence of changes in tactics , arguably emanating from Nigeria ’ s hard counter-terrorism measures . This should serve as a lesson to states and regional forces , as well as continental organizations such as the Economic Community of West African States ( ECOWAS ), Southern African Development Community ( SADC ) and the African Union ( AU ) that , the fight against terrorism should be multi-dimensional , and in some instances , context specific . But more importantly , intelligence sharing , border security management and training are key elements of anti-terrorism in Africa .
ANTI-TERRORISM MEASURES
Anti-Terrorism actions are defensive measures used to reduce the vulnerability of individuals and property to terrorist acts or activities . Anti-Terrorism actions may include limited response and containment of local security forces . Other anti-terrorism measures include instituting awareness programs for the populations , as well as proactive measures adopted to prevent terrorists from carrying out their activities , and collaboration among security agencies within a particular state and between nations-states in Africa . Anti-Terrorism measures are therefore aided by good intelligence training for security agencies , and sound border security management .
Intelligence Gathering
Intelligence is information that is analyzed and converted into a product to support a particular cause . Intelligence is both a process and a product , and has played an important role in diplomacy and warfare throughout history . In the information age and with the emergence of terrorism , intelligence has taken
11 a centre stage of importance . While intelligence alone cannot stop the next terrorist attack in Africa , it is the critical first step in identifying and possibly preventing one . 12
Intelligence gathering at the strategic level is used for longterm planning and for assessing the capabilities of potential opponents at the operational level . With good analysis and the production of clear evaluations , security agencies could have an effective tool to use in an effort to identify potential terrorist operations and targets within their community . Good intelligence has the ability to predict when and where future terrorist operations might occur , based on the probability of their most advantageous targets for their cause . Therefore through intelligence gathering , state security forces are in a better position to successfully preempt future terrorist attack .
The use of intelligence in preventing all forms of crimes is very important . However , with regards to terrorism , coordination of intelligence gathering efforts and information-sharing between and among states on the one hand , and the regional organizations on the other , is absolutely imperative because of the increased movement of terrorist groups across borders . Therefore , intelligence gathering should not be limited to only a state , but should be coordinated across states , and similarly among regional groups and communities . It should be noted that France has already adopted an anti-terrorism strategy in Africa and the Sahel in particular : 13 Chad , Mali , Burkina Faso , Niger and La Cote d ’ Ivoire also have anti-terrorism strategies . While similar anti-terrorism measures exist in the region , there is a need for the coordination of efforts to ensure effective management and monitoring of terrorist threats and radical groups . However , the effectiveness of these measures will be optimized when locals are involved in information gather and sharing through an active monitoring process . Such an effort calls for measures to educate and create awareness among the population on the need for timely and accurate sharing of information on the activities of suspicious groups suspected to be terrorists .
The threat of Boko Haram has encouraged Niger , Nigeria , Chad and Cameroon to coordinate efforts to create a multi-national force to fight the threat . Together with Benin , five leaders within ECOWAS and Economic Community of Central African States ( ECCAS ) have resolved to speed up the creation of a headquarters for the multi-national force and have deployed military battalions " to [ their ] respective borders ". The Multi-National Joint Task Force ( MNJTF ) has also been created for the Lake Chad Basin countries supported by the AU . 14
But the coordination efforts in information gathering should not be limited to the core security agencies alone . Issues of