The Epidemic-Terrorism Nexus and How to Safeguard Africa Against Bioterrorism

The document explores the 'epidemic-terrorism nexus,' specifically how terrorist groups exploit disease crises and disrupt public health efforts. Using the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) as a case study in Nigeria, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, the author argues that bioterrorism should be redefined to include the indirect undermining of health interventions through violence and anti-vaccination rhetoric. The paper warns that Africa's vulnerability to this nexus is under-researched, particularly following the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

• The author proposes an expanded definition of bioterrorism that moves beyond the traditional biomedical focus on the creation or theft of viruses to include the direct and indirect ways terrorist activities undermine disease eradication efforts.
• Terrorism significantly obstructs polio eradication in Nigeria, Pakistan, and Afghanistan through a combination of targeted violence against vaccinators, the promotion of anti-vaccination rhetoric, and the exploitation of anti-Western suspicions.
• The COVID-19 pandemic has created an environment of economic demobilisation, overwhelmed healthcare, and fragility that provides fertile ground for terrorists to thrive and potentially increase the use of bioweapons.
• Despite Africa being officially declared polio-free in 2020, the resurgence of the disease in Nigeria in 2016 highlighted the ongoing vulnerability of the continent to disease resurgence in a globalised world.

APA

South African Institute of International Affairs (2022). The Epidemic-Terrorism Nexus and How to Safeguard Africa Against Bioterrorism. https://saiia.org.za/research/the-epidemic-terrorism-nexus-and-how-to-safeguard-africa-against-bioterrorism/

Chicago

South African Institute of International Affairs. The Epidemic-Terrorism Nexus and How to Safeguard Africa Against Bioterrorism. 2022. https://saiia.org.za/research/the-epidemic-terrorism-nexus-and-how-to-safeguard-africa-against-bioterrorism/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=South African Institute of International Affairs |title=The Epidemic-Terrorism Nexus and How to Safeguard Africa Against Bioterrorism |date=20 June 2022 |url=https://saiia.org.za/research/the-epidemic-terrorism-nexus-and-how-to-safeguard-africa-against-bioterrorism/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{southafricaninstituteofinternationalaffairs2022epidemicterrorism, author = {{South African Institute of International Affairs}}, title = {{The Epidemic-Terrorism Nexus and How to Safeguard Africa Against Bioterrorism}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2022}, month = jun, url = {https://saiia.org.za/research/the-epidemic-terrorism-nexus-and-how-to-safeguard-africa-against-bioterrorism/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }