East Africa: Networked Fight Against Terrorism in the Horn of Africa

For years, the superpowers have assumed that the Horn of Africa is a fertile ground for terrorism. It has come under high scrutiny as it is a strategic location in the fight against terrorism. Reports reveal that some governments in the Horn admitted that a network of terrorists was considering an attack on alien powers. This confirmed the presence of terrorist groups in the region.

Among the Horn countries, Ethiopia has not been openly confronted with fundamentalists, as they tend to identify with ethnic rather than religious groups in the country. It is also revealed that Muslims and Christians are intermingled peacefully throughout most parts of the country. Islam in Ethiopia has been and continues to be peaceful. However, some neighboring countries in the Horn have been important locations for terrorist activities. These countries attracted terrorists for their transiting services rather than as a base for global terrorism. But, in later years, these countries became attractive to terrorists.

A few of the Horn countries have played a great role in religious terrorism that affected the people of the region. Initially, they have provided transit points for movement of people and goods and services through the porous borders preferred for terrorist attacks. Some countries of the Horn have been considered focal areas for stretching the gap between moderate and radical religious groups.

A few leaders in the Horn used the war against terrorism as an excuse to eliminate all domestic political dissidents in their specific countries. Other countries in this region stood at crossroads without revealing their intent. They have been attempting to conduct peace negotiations with the opposition armed groups in order to improve relations within the Horn region. However, these efforts have been obstructed by leaders of movements that remained committed to their religious agenda. In a few cases, religious agendas have been used as a cover for political missions to access power.

It is reported that an effective response to terrorist activities in the Horn region has been designed by the superpowers. These responses include increased and targeted foreign aid and improved regional intelligence capabilities. These measures are to be accompanied by increased political pressure on other foreign forces that encourage radicalism through religious groups, charities, and training programs in the Horn countries.

On the other hand, antiterrorism measures are seriously affected by hostilities, conflicts and wars among some countries of the Horn. The relationship between the historically linked and neighboring countries of the Horn has been deteriorating for a long time. Any peace deal that brought these countries together years ago now seems to have been lost in an enduring rivalry, contest and challenge in the region. The sources of tensions include access to the sea and a lack of peace among neighboring countries.

Experts are of the opinion that the neighboring countries of the Horn cannot afford escalation of conflict and rivalry. These conflicts call for to terrorist activities in the area. Yet, open conflict remains a possibility with outcomes short of direct wars. This is tantamount to a return to the sensitive “no war, no peace” situation of previous decades.

It is well noted that a few countries in the region have a disdain for multilateral institutions and forums that endeavor to create peace in the Horn. These countries have also strained relations with many governments in the region. All these factors have contributed to inaccurate designations of leaders of the Horn countries. However, all these reflect the policy of these countries to preserve their independence in a fast changing geopolitical environment. The attempt by leaders of the Horn countries, such as Ethiopia, to preserve their independence is sometimes impeded by extreme poverty, hunger, conflicts, wars and terrorism.

Some of the leaders of the Horn countries have tried to maintain peace and order along their borders. They signed agreements with great optimism to resolve border disputes. These accords were greeted with optimism in the neighboring countries and by the international community. However, experts examined how the intensity of regional competition is affecting the political and security situations in the Horn.

Moreover, they have been complicating the interests of external powers in the region. These regional competitors have been focusing on poverty reduction strategy to redirect the attention of the people from politics. They also used this strategy to dilute the influence of terrorists in the Horn region.

The governments of the Horn such as Ethiopia have also devised a means to engage in local mediation and conflict resolution strategies to defuse social tensions. They also monitored violent extremist activities that spread among the young people who seek jobs but remained unemployed for a long time. These job-seekers usually left their country as economic migrants. However, some of them have returned as potential terrorists.

The returnees also became radicalized adherents to terrorism without a properly defined goal. The governments of the Horn region, including Ethiopia, have been devising strategies to repulse these terrorists before they succeed in influencing the poverty ridden people within their boundaries.

To succeed in the implementation of this strategy they have sought for regional cooperation among the Horn countries. They also requested for global assistance in the fight against terrorism. When seeking such assistance, some of the leaders of governments in the Horn regions had the hidden agenda of maintaining their own power and authority.

Experts on the politics of the Horn have also suggested that these leaders used their authority for the exploitation of resources by subjugating their citizens. These resources are diverted from funding development projects to financing antiterrorist schemes. This approach is two-pronged, one for reversing domestic opposition and the other for eliminating terrorists in the Horn countries.

Support for local terrorist activities in the sub-region has come from global violent extremist organizations. To resist these entities, there was a need to solicit strong support from the global powers that pay great attention to the Horn region. These powers have provided financial, military, and capacity building support to the countries of the region for fighting terrorists. The Horn countries have participated in AU-led counterterrorism efforts by contributing troops to missions in some countries of the region.

In this effort, Ethiopia has participated in IGAD and its Counter-Terrorism program and training. It has also participated in the IGAD Security Sector Program, which builds regional capacity to detect, counter and repulse terrorist activities. Ethiopia supports global efforts against terrorism, using international directives that seek to divert terrorism. Recognizing that terrorism is a global issue, IGAD has continued to encourage dissemination of critical information concerning cross-border terrorist activity.

Ethiopia is a peace loving country that keeps terrorism at bay. It continues to be an active partner with the superpowers on counterterrorism issues. It has made important amendments to its Antiterrorism Proclamation that outlaws terrorist activities. The terrorist threats that originate from some neighboring countries are serious challenges to peace and security in Ethiopia.

Domestically, armed groups that promote ethnic issues are also persistent domestic threats. Both the external and internal factors escalate the political tensions within the country. The leaders of these terrorist groups aspire to grab power at the cost of the lives and properties of Ethiopians. Considering the death of thousands of people, the superpowers have repeatedly called for the immediate end to hostilities by all parties. Ending of such hostilities facilitates the delivery of humanitarian assistance to affected regional states of the country.

Some countries of the Horn introduced aviation security for the safety of passenger and cargo. But, lack of effective control has made the security system vulnerable to foreign intrusion. These countries resorted to the use of advanced technology that enhanced passenger security. The application of this tech has boosted security for passengers and for controlling terrorists. The upgraded and automated control system would immensely reduce domestic risks contrived by local terrorists.

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Border security has been a persistent concern for the governments of the Horn countries. These governments have worked to tighten border controls within their borders. They installed latest techs for controlling several ports of entry. Assisted by these techs, some of the governments in the Horn area have been able to arrest several local and global terrorists. These terrorists have been accused of committing crimes against popular figures and destroying properties. They also conducted terrorist incidents and launched offensive acts against law enforcement agencies.

Surprisingly, the terrorists asserted that they acted in self-defense against planned government actions to remove them from their country. The governments of the Horn countries, including Ethiopia, have been seeking and receiving military assistance from friendly governments and powers. There have been reports that all parties to the Horn conflict are accused of human rights violations, atrocities and abuses committed by their forces.

Some of the governments of the Horn have been countering violent extremism for a long time. These countries have given top priority for threats from terrorists of the region. They have designed strategies focusing on domestic and external threats. Domestically, they have developed their own specific schemes to eliminate factors that help the terrorists to recruit the unemployed youth.

The governments of the region have embarked on economic development programs that would create employment for the job seekers. They also closely monitored violent extremist activities that would hamper the peaceful existence of the Horn countries, including Ethiopia. The governments of the Horn continue to work on strategies that would reduce or eliminate terrorism through encouraging peaceful coexistence among the countries of the Horn. Each and every country in the Horn of Africa should, therefore, cooperate in promoting cross-border security for the benefit of the impoverished, war stricken and displaced persons of the region.

Editor’s Note: The views entertained in this article do not necessarily reflect the stance of The Ethiopian Herald

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