Latest Articles about Africa
Egypt Struggles with Jihadist Challenge in Sinai
A series of attacks by the Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis (ABM) jihadist group against military checkpoints and facilities in northeast Sinai on January 29 killed at least 32 Egyptian soldiers and policemen, making this among the deadliest attacks in Egypt in decades (al-Ahram, January 30). The... MORE
Mindful of the Islamic State, Boko Haram Broadens Reach into Lake Chad Region
In early January 2015, many foreign and domestic observers of Nigeria focused on whether Boko Haram would ramp up its attacks to disrupt the February 14, 2015 Nigerian presidential elections, between incumbent Goodluck Jonathan (often characterized as the “southern Christian” candidate) and Muhammad Buhari (the... MORE
Al-Shabaab: On the Back Foot but Still Dangerous
As the Islamic State and Boko Haram expanded rapidly throughout 2014, gaining territory and power in the Middle East and West Africa respectively, al-Qaeda’s Somali affiliate al-Shabaab was on the back foot, retreating from its strongholds as a result of two major offensives carried out... MORE
Jihadism in Tunisia: The Growing Threat
At the end of December, the Tunisian Interior Ministry reported that during 2014, 23 security force members (mostly soldiers and members of the National Guard) had been killed during the past year by Islamist militants. The ministry also said that government counter-terrorism operations during the... MORE
The Rise of ADF-NALU in Central Africa and Its Connections with al-Shabaab
A series of massacres in eastern parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in the last three months underline the resurgence of a little known Islamist militant organization, the Alliance of Democratic Forces – National Army for the Liberation of Uganda (ADF-NALU). On December... MORE
Maritime Insecurity in the Gulf of Guinea: A Greater Role for China?
While concerted anti-piracy measures, undertaken since 2008, have steadily decreased the number of piracy attacks in the Gulf of Aden, those in the Gulf of Guinea (GoG) attract growing attention. Geographically, the GoG designates the vast Atlantic coast stretching from Angola to Senegal. The growing... MORE
Shaykh Sadiq al-Ghariani: A Profile of Libya’s Grand Mufti
In the midst of the political turmoil that has divided Libya since the Qaddafi era there is a religious scholar and academic with a taste for Islamist politics. Grand Mufti Sadiq al-Ghariani is in many ways a product of the turmoil; he was simultaneously praised... MORE
Islamist Radicalization: A New Challenge for Kenya
On November 27, the Kenyan government reopened four mosques in Mombasa, which it had shut down the previous week over fears that they were involved in the radicalization and recruitment of local youth for Somalia’s Islamist militant group, al-Shabaab. The reopened mosques were handed over... MORE
Shaykh Ahmad Umar Takes the Helm of Al-Shabaab
On September 1, a U.S. airstrike in Dahay Tubaako, a remote area in Somalia’s Lower Shabelle region, killed Ahmad Abdi Godane (a.k.a. Mukhtar Abu Zubayr), the main leader and most prominent ideological figure within the Islamist militant group al-Shabaab. Godane’s death, along with that of... MORE
Boko Haram’s Man in Cameroon: Alhaji Abdalla
Since Boko Haram kidnapped seven members of the French Moulin-Fournier family in February 2013, its first major operation in Cameroon, the militant group’s operations in Cameroon have steadily increased. Throughout 2014, Boko Haram attempted to seize control of the four most important border points connecting... MORE