Venter, Al J. Africa. In the Line of Fire

Jihadist-sponsored Conflicts Within Africa and the Security Implications Beyond the Continent

An investigation into how jihadist forces are responsible for triggering and escalating conflicts in countries across Africa. Africa is currently facing more wars, uprisings, mutinies, coups and rebellions than at any time since the Second World War. Conflicts of all kinds have become endemic and are now being exacerbated by a relative newcomer: jihadism, which is increasingly associated with Islamic State or Al-Qaeda. In 2020, there was a record number of state conflicts on the African continent: around 22,000 armed conflicts were recorded. Two dozen military conflicts were recorded in various countries, three or four more than in 2018. Of these, 13 were territorial conflicts, the highest number ever. Since then, conflicts have increased every year, and the general situation since Russia's invasion of Ukraine suggests that the situation will continue to deteriorate. Islamist jihadists involved in a series of conflicts in Africa are largely responsible for this. These conflicts span the entire sub-Saharan region, Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso and Chad, Sudan and Somalia. A newer player in this conflict is Tanzania, whose government in Dar es Salaam asked the European Union for military assistance at the end of 2021 to counter the escalating jihadist rebellion in its southern province. The upward trend is cause for concern. And there are long-term implications for security both inside and outside Africa if the situation deteriorates, Europe will ultimately be threatened as well. Veteran war correspondent Al Venter draws on his decades of experience to shed light on what Islamist forces are doing in Africa, why they are doing it, and what the future might look like.