Global terror: Africa not immune to terror

This research paper argues that Africa is vulnerable to global Islamist terrorism and that the African Union (AU) has failed to implement its counter-terrorism frameworks. The author highlights the underfunding and understaffing of the African Centre for the Study and Research on Terrorism in Algiers and proposes a practical, incremental strategy for building capacity based on the specific strengths of key states and regional organisations.

• The African Union (AU) and its member states have failed to meet basic obligations of counter-terrorism accords, leaving the continent ill-prepared to protect its people or assess threats. While the OAU Convention on the Prevention and Combating of Terrorism was adopted in 1999 to address links between terrorism and organised crime, 17 states have still not ratified it.
• The African Centre for the Study and Research on Terrorism in Algiers remains largely non-functional despite an investment of $6.2m by the Algerian government. The AU has not appointed a permanent director or staff, and of 53 states, only 20 have designated focal points to liaise with the centre; South Africa is among those that have not.
• The threat of Islamist violence in Africa is concentrated in four primary areas: Somalia and the Horn, where statelessness allows al-Qaeda a presence; the Sahelian states, where Algerian Islamists have been pushed south; northern Nigeria, which is vulnerable to infiltration and designated by al-Qaeda as a target for an operational base; and South Africa, which serves as a transit point for terror finance and logistics due to its banking sector.
• The author proposes a practical division of labour for counter-terrorism, suggesting the Algiers centre build ties with specific states including Kenya, Tanzania, Nigeria, Mali, South Africa, and Mozambique. Additionally, the author argues that Morocco must be integrated into continental strategies, which requires resolving the conflict over Western Sahara.

APA

South African Institute of International Affairs (2008). Global terror: Africa not immune to terror. https://saiia.org.za/research/global-terror-africa-not-immune-to-terror/

Chicago

South African Institute of International Affairs. Global terror: Africa not immune to terror. 2008. https://saiia.org.za/research/global-terror-africa-not-immune-to-terror/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=South African Institute of International Affairs |title=Global terror: Africa not immune to terror |date=29 April 2008 |url=https://saiia.org.za/research/global-terror-africa-not-immune-to-terror/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{southafricaninstituteofinternationalaffairs2008global, author = {{South African Institute of International Affairs}}, title = {{Global terror: Africa not immune to terror}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2008}, month = apr, url = {https://saiia.org.za/research/global-terror-africa-not-immune-to-terror/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }