Counter-terrorism experts said on Tuesday that Africa is now the hot spot for global terrorism, with half of last year’s fatalities reported in sub-Saharan Africa.
The experts noted, however, that the branches of Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State remain widespread, persistent and active in other parts of the world.
Interpol, the international criminal police agency, also reported, during a panel discussion at the United Nations in New York, that terrorism linked to far-right ideology has increased about 50 times in the last decade, particularly in Europe, America North and parts of Asia-Pacific.
Experts see other trends. On the one hand, deteriorating global security is making the threat of terrorism “more complex and decentralized”. On the other hand, extremists are increasingly using sophisticated technology, and drones and artificial intelligence have opened up new ways to plan and execute attacks.
This week, the United Nations is hosting the third high-level conference of heads of counterterrorism agencies. Tuesday’s panel on assessing current and emerging terrorist trends and threats brought together experts from the United Nations, Interpol, Russia, the United States and Qatar, as well as a Google officer for strategic intelligence.
The overall theme of the week is combating terrorism through reinvigorated international cooperation.
In this Tuesday’s session, it was Africa that occupied the center of attention.
“Africa has emerged as the main battleground for terrorism, with a huge increase in the number of active groups operating on the continent,” said UN Deputy Secretary-General Khaled Khiari, noting that political, economic “fractures” Local and social forces, porous borders and “identity-based mobilisation” fueled the rise of al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group.
*With Lusa
