Africa In Danger As Terrorism Replaces Guerrilla Warfare

04/01/2012

The years following the independence of Africa witnessed heavy guerrilla warfare in the continent. Civil wars whose aim was secession, such as the Biafra war in Nigeria, and movements whose aim was achieving equality within the country, such as the Sudan People’s Liberation Army/movement SPLA/SPLM revolt in Sudan are few examples. The Cold War era also witnessed the increase of guerrilla warfare in Africa. But in recent years, terrorism has been introduced to Africa and is increasingly making its way toward becoming the number one form of warfare in the continent. For instance, two terrorist groups, Al-Shabab in Somalia and Boko Haram in Nigeria are the first known well organized terrorist groups in the continent. The African Union also recently classified the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), which has been waging war against the Ugandan government, as a terrorist group.

What is Terrorism?
 
There is no single agreed upon definition of terrorism. Different security organs in the same country may even define terrorism in different terms depending on the nature of their work. For example, the United States Department of Defense defines terrorism as “the calculated use of unlawful violence or threat of unlawful violence to inculcate fear; intended to coerce or to intimidate governments or societies in the pursuit of goals that are generally political, religious, or ideological.” The FBI defines it as “the unlawful use of force and violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives." The U.S. Department of State defines terrorism to be "premeditated politically-motivated violence perpetrated against non-combatant targets by sub-national groups or clandestine agents, usually intended to influence an audience.”

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