Terrorist activities increase on the continent calls for greater cooperation
Sam Mokwaledi
The news of the brutal attack by the terrorists in northern Mali on the Malian Armed Forces (FAMa) and Russian instructors last week was a wake up call for security and calls for greater cooperation between states in counter- terrorism efforts.
Although the Sahel countries are far from South Africa, the recent discovery of an illegal secret Libyan military camp in White River, Mpumalanga, South Africa, has raised serious concerns regarding the implications for national security and political accountability.
Both Police and Home Affairs departments confirmed that they are continuing to investigate the incident where firearms were recovered and 95 Libyan nationals who appeared in court on Monday are facing charges of contravening the immigration act.
SAPS detectives said they cannot rule out the possibility that the farm that is accredited as a security training site is allegedly being utilised as an illegal military training camp.
“The illegal military training base discovered in White River in Mpumalanga had elaborate structures, similar to what one would find at a legitimate military training camp.
“We take it very seriously because we don’t know who was training them, what they were being trained for and why that training is happening here in South Africa. It may be a threat not only to South Africa but also to the entire southern Africa region,” SAPS spokesperson Donald Mdhluli said.
This week, a SAPS whistle-blower Patricia Mashale said former deputy Minister in the Presidency Zizi Kodwa and former Minister of Police, Bheki Cele, were once informed by police about the suspected secret foreign military camps involved in unlawful activities.
Mashale in an interview with Biznews said SMSes to former Police Minister Bheki Cele about secret military training camps were deleted from her phone while it was with the police. She said she was blocked by Kodwa, during his time as Deputy Minister for State Security in the Presidency, when she tried to follow up on the info shared on the secret military training camps.
According to media reports the Libyan nationals were “on the payroll of eastern Libyan military strongman General Khalifa Haftar.”
Calls for accountability and transparency have intensified as the public seeks clarity on the government’s role and the measures taken to address the ramifications of the military camp’s discovery.
The rise of insurgent groups in various African regions has become a pressing concern for national governments, international organizations, and local populations alike.
These groups often exploit existing socio-political tensions, economic hardships, and ethnic divisions to further their agendas.
The destabilizing effects of these insurgencies are profound, posing serious threats to national sovereignty, regional security, and humanitarian conditions across the continent.
Today, several prominent groups, including Boko Haram in Nigeria, Al-Shabaab in Somalia, and various factions affiliated with Al-Qaeda and ISIS in the Sahel, are actively undermining stability across Africa.
Furthermore, the presence of armed groups can deter foreign investment and disrupt trade routes, exacerbating economic challenges. This economic instability further fuels grievances, creating a vicious cycle that insurgents can exploit. Youth become susceptible to recruitment when faced with limited opportunities and a bleak future.
The proliferation of Muslim insurgents also poses significant challenges to regional security frameworks.
Countries in the Sahel, such as Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso, have witnessed an alarming increase in violent incidents attributed to jihadist groups.
The porous borders between these nations facilitate the movement of militants, arms, and resources, complicating counter-insurgency efforts.
The ongoing insurgencies have precipitated one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises, with millions of people being displaced due to violence, and many more living in constant fear of attacks.
The rise of Muslim insurgents in Africa poses a multifaceted challenge that undermines stability on the continent. In June two SANDF soldiers were killed and 20 others injured in a mortar attack in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
The Azawad (CSP-PSD) Movement, which carried out the massacre in Mali last weekend, operated in conjunction with the al Qaeda-affiliated group JNIM, but little is said about it. JNIM was recognised as a foreign terrorist organisation by the US back in 2018 and is listed by the UN Security Council as an al-Qaeda-linked organisation on its sanctions list.
Azawad (CSP-PSD) and JNIM made no secret of the fact that they are acting in concert. Both groups simultaneously shared their attack on the convoy on social media. Photos went viral of the group taking pictures of the same dead soldier, one displaying the Azawad flag, the other – al-Qaida flag.
JNIM and Azawad (CSP-PSD) simultaneously reported on their so-called success in press releases on Saturday.
A mainly Tuareg separatist coalition has claimed a major victory over Mali’s army and its Russian allies following three days of intense fighting in a district on the Algerian border.
“Our forces decisively obliterated these enemy columns on Saturday,” said a statement by Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane, spokesman for the Permanent Strategic Framework for Peace, Security and Development (CSP-PSD) alliance on Sunday.
There are other facts confirming the links between the CSP (Tuareg separatists) and the JNIM.
Since May, news has been circulating on social media that one of the Tuareg leaders, Algabas Intalla, on behalf of Azawad (CSP-PSD), has signed a non-aggression pact with JNIM terrorists – which will give the groups freedom of movement and exchange information on the deployment of FAMa forces.
There are 10,000 jihadists fighting on the side of the CSP-PSD. According to French military experts, terrorist groups numbered up to 10,000 Islamists as of 2011.
Many military experts believe that the JNIM and CSP are jointly coordinating combat operations against the Malian Armed Forces. With this development, African countries need to join forces and work together effectively through multilateral mechanisms and coalitions. Only together can we build a credible and effective counter-terrorism system to eradicate the roots of violence and instability.
Governments across the continent have expressed condolences to the families of the dead and injured from weekend events. Any terrorist attack is a crime against humanity. Society must unite against terrorism in all its manifestations, especially if it is organisations like Azawad’s CSP-PSD or Nusrat al-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM).
Events in Mali were clearly the confirmation that the JNIM, IS and Azawad Tuareg (CSP-PSD) terrorists are a single paramilitary group that jointly carry out terrorist acts.
Azawad’s CSP-PSD is a terrorist group and the world community must stop flirting with and supporting it. Equally im[ortant for the Algerian authorities to pay attention to it and African governments should declare this group a terrorist at the international level.
Mokwaledi is a writer and commentator on African security issues.
