Africa’s approach to countering terrorism still misses the mark

The document assesses the African Union's (AU) counter-terrorism efforts, noting that despite the 1999 Algiers Convention and various peace support operations, terrorism has expanded across the continent. It identifies two primary gaps: the failure to treat deep-seated governance challenges and a reliance on militaristic responses over sustainable preventive measures. The author concludes that while recent AU decisions to enhance the African Standby Force are positive, the AU must prioritise non-military responses targeting poverty and marginalisation to effectively reduce insecurity.

• Despite the implementation of the 1999 Algiers Convention, the 2002 Plan of Action, and the 2011 African Model Anti-terrorism Law, terrorism in Africa has expanded and deepened.
• The persistence of terrorism is attributed to untreated governance challenges, which have allowed groups like al-Qaeda and the Islamic State to establish themselves in Africa.
• Current regional and continental responses are criticised for being primarily reactive and militaristic, lacking sufficient focus on the sustainable, preventive measures needed to address the origins of the problem.
• The author asserts that reducing insecurity requires the AU to prioritise non-military responses that address poverty, marginalisation, and governance, rather than relying solely on security force actions.

APA

Institute for Security Studies (n.d.). Africa’s approach to countering terrorism still misses the mark. https://issafrica.org/iss-today/africas-approach-to-countering-terrorism-still-misses-the-mark

Chicago

Institute for Security Studies. Africa’s approach to countering terrorism still misses the mark. n.d. https://issafrica.org/iss-today/africas-approach-to-countering-terrorism-still-misses-the-mark.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Institute for Security Studies |title=Africa’s approach to countering terrorism still misses the mark |url=https://issafrica.org/iss-today/africas-approach-to-countering-terrorism-still-misses-the-mark |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{instituteforsecuritystudiesndafricas, author = {{Institute for Security Studies}}, title = {{Africa’s approach to countering terrorism still misses the mark}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, url = {https://issafrica.org/iss-today/africas-approach-to-countering-terrorism-still-misses-the-mark}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }