Africa is much more than many people think. With an area of 30 million km², it ranks second among the continents of the planet. The population of Africa exceeds 1 billion people, who for the most part live in poverty and constant fear for their lives. A corrupt government, constant wars and revolutions make Africa an unusually dangerous place, but a "promised land" for various terrorist organizations. We will tell you about the 10 largest terrorist organizations in modern Africa. Most of you, of course, have heard of Boko Haram, but the Black Continent has sheltered much tougher and more brutal terrorist groups that constantly threaten the tranquility and life of civilians.
1
Character al-Shabab
The word “al-Shabab” may resemble the name of some Arabic dish, but in reality it’s not so fun. This is one of the most brutal terrorist organizations in Africa, operating in the long-suffering state of Somalia. It was organized in 2006, by combining several border groups of Somali militants. The purpose of the organization is called Sharia and peace, however, far from them, since at first the jihad needed to get rid of all the enemies of Somalia. In fact, the organization simply wants power and strives to capture almost the entire territory of the state at all costs. Al-Shabab partially achieved this by taking control of a significant territory of Somalia and some parts of Yemen.
In general, the name itself can be translated as "party of the young." The word “shabaab” refers to various Arab youth organizations, which in no way refers to this group, run by middle-aged people. In recent years, militants have left most of the occupied territories, especially the cities, and are hiding in the countryside, planning terrorist attacks and kidnapping from there.
According to rough estimates, the organization includes about 7 thousand people, so the talk of future attempts to regain the lost influence does not cease for a minute.
Please note that there is also an article on the TOP-10 active terrorist organizations in Europe on our site thebiggest.ru.
2
Ansar al-Sharia
Ansar al-Sharia is, in fact, two independent terrorist organizations operating together in the territories of Tunisia and Libya. In the Tunisian "cell" are about a thousand militants. They managed to cash in on the chaos of the Arab spring, however, Tunisia was better prepared to suppress the protests than Libya, so the Libyan group can be called more successful.
The Libyan Ansar al-Sharia includes about 4 thousand members. The organization plays a large role in the Civil War in Libya. It was the militants of this group who organized the attack on Benghazi, the second largest city in this North African country. The influence of Ansar al-Sharia is so significant that they are able to intimidate a significant number of people, forbidding them to participate in democratic elections. According to the leaders of the organization, the democratic structure is initially contrary to the canons of Islam, and people who accept democracy are considered by the members of Ansar al-Sharia as criminals and traitors to the faith.
3
Lord's army of resistance
Lord’s Resistance Army cannot be fully called a terrorist organization, since it is more likely to belong to the Christian sect. It operates on the territory of Uganda, however, the main forces are concentrated in South Sudan and the DR Congo, from where the GAS makes its attacks. The ideological leader of the cult, Joseph Coni, states that the state should be governed by the 10 commandments. At the same time, almost all of the organization’s activities include the robbery of civilians and the abduction of children, who are turned into ruthless killers. According to Koni, children are the foundation of the construction of a new state, since they are not yet spoiled by sins.
World fame came to the Lord's Resistance Army in 2008, when they staged a real massacre in DR Congo, killing about 400 people in different towns during the celebration of Christmas. The number of kidnappings and rapes of the CEO has grown so much that the armies of Uganda and the DR Congo were raised to fight against sectarians, and then US President Barack Obama sent troops to the region to help capture Koni. Despite all efforts, the ideological leader of the CEO was never caught.
4
Movement for Unity and Jihad
The terrorist organization "Movement for Unity and Jihad" operates in West Africa. Their goal is the spread of jihad. Initially, the members of the group were in al-Qaeda, but separated from the organization in 2011. This is the whole of Africa and its terrorist organizations, the struggle for leadership leads to a split of large groups into small extremist groups, only increasing the number of victims.
Of course, the scale of Al Qaeda was not achieved by the Movement for Unity and Jihad. Their activities extend mainly to small areas of Mali and Algeria. In fact, they do not cause significant harm, and the most significant battle of the group occurred during the war with the unrecognized North African state of Azawad. You understood correctly - terrorists are at war with terrorists! The saddest thing is that during such battles the civilian population suffers.
But not everywhere on this continent is so dangerous. On our site thebiggest.ru you can find the Top 10 safest African countries to live and work.
5
Al qaeda
Despite the fact that Al-Qaeda was created in Afghanistan, its activities have long gone beyond the borders of this country and continent. Members of the organization have been active in Africa for a long time. If you schematically represent the geography of Al-Qaida, it will resemble an umbrella, the "spokes" of which are spread around the world. Today in Africa there is not even one, but several cells of this terrorist organization. The majority of them does not exceed 2 thousand people, which allows each individual group to work in one country, providing mobility during terrorist attacks.
However, if earlier the organization’s goal was to achieve the “Great Islamic Caliphate”, today they are somewhat crushed. Basically, they "probe the ground" in third world countries, with a view to overthrow the current government. It will not be a mistake to assert that the fight against "universal evil" has faded into the background, giving way to the desire for profit. The organization receives millions of dollars by robbing the population of dozens of countries, as well as engaging in abduction and extortion.
Unfortunately, the tactics of guerrilla warfare and the fragmentation of al-Qaeda makes the task of their complete destruction practically impossible. At the same time, such a policy of a terrorist group does not allow them to set ambitious goals.
6
Ansaru
The “Vanguard for the Protection of Muslims in Black Africa” or Ansaru is a terrorist organization that was formerly part of Boko Haram, but announced its withdrawal in 20212. For some time, the group was deprived of attention due to practical inactivity. However, later Ansaru leaders found something to “surprise” the world with, directing all their anger at Westerners. Public attention was drawn to a video in which members of the organization voiced plans for the abduction of Westerners (most likely, we are talking about all people with white skin) who appeared on their territory. Apparently there are so few white people in northern Nigeria that Ansaru members are forced to attack Nigerian military personnel.
Once militants broke into the territory of a state-protected facility using explosives and took several foreigners hostage. After some time, all the prisoners were executed. Many terrorist groups in Africa are engaged in kidnapping, aiming to get a ransom or “forge” children into a murder weapon, but Ansaru in every way rejects financial gain, taking pleasure in the very fact of killing “infidels”.
7
Ansar ad Din
The extremist organization Ansar ad-Din represents the interests of the Tuareg Islamists, operating in the northern part of Mali. Almost nothing is known about this organization, including its size. According to some sources, it does not exceed 3,000 militants, according to others - the number of its members reaches 10,000. Ansar ad-Din have very good equipment, being allies of Boko Haram and Al-Qaeda.
The group owns a huge number of cars that were allegedly stolen from the Libyan government during the Arab Spring. The organization’s activity peaked in 2012-2013, when a number of terrorist attacks were committed, as well as kidnapping in order to obtain ransom and even resale.
In 2012, the group captured several cities in the north of Mali, establishing their own rules in them, in particular, and fighting against smoking. Less than years later, they were forced to leave the occupied territories, having been defeated during battles with the French army. The organization’s activities also affected our country. In 2015, Ansar ad-Din fighters captured a hotel in the capital's Bakamoko, killing several people, including six citizens of the Russian Federation.
8
Brigades of Abdullah Azzam
Although the name of the “Abdullah Azzam Brigade” sounds like a pioneer detachment, these “Timurovites” are certainly going to help others. Their activities extend to many countries from Palestine to Egypt. The group was founded by extremists, equating the ideological leader Abdullah Azzam, who fought against the Soviet troops in Afghanistan.
The foundation year of the organization is considered to be 2009, however, as far back as 2004, terrorist attacks were committed in northern Africa, for which a group called the “Abdullah Azzam Brigades” took responsibility. In particular, we are talking about three terrorist attacks in Egypt, which claimed the lives of more than 60 people. And also the “clone” of this organization is guilty of the death of 88 people in the Egyptian Sharm el-Sheikh.
In the summer of 2005, they bombed Jordan, which shocked North Africa and the Middle East. And also the members of the Abdullah Azzam Brigades boast of involvement in the fighting during the Iraq war, however, many African terrorist organizations sin in this way, wanting to show their significance.
9
Al-ittihad al-islamia
Al-Ittihad al-Islamia is one of dozens, if not hundreds, of terrorist organizations that have taken advantage of the unstable situation in Somalia in the 90s of the 20th century. Receiving financial support from Osama bin Laden, they had every chance of creating their own Islamic state on the territory of modern Somalia.
They really managed to seize a rather vast region, having established their power there, which meant only one thing ... Sharia courts. Over time, government forces, as well as the armies of neighboring countries managed to dislodge ALAL from the lands they occupied.
The organization officially ceased to exist in 2006, but in fact it went underground, making rare sorties, robberies and acts of violence in Somalia.
10
Boko haram
And we will complete our dangerous list on thebiggest.ru with the Boko Haram group. Of course, she is the main newsmaker among terrorist organizations in Africa, terrifying the inhabitants of the northern and western regions of the continent. They are based on the territory of Nigeria, having committed crimes since 2002, but after entering into an alliance with ISIS, Boko Haram not only expanded the territory of their operations, but also began to carry out increasingly large-scale terrorist attacks.
Having changed its name to the “West African Province of the Islamic State,” the group, wanting to correspond to its allies, who had not taken anyone under their wing, carried out the abduction of about 300 schoolgirls. As well as Boko Haram militants participated in hostilities, forcing about 2.3 million people to flee their homes. During the existence of the organization, the government of Nigeria and other countries have repeatedly declared its defeat, but most of the news did not correspond to reality.
Literally translated, "Boko Haram" means "Western education is prohibited." Based on it, one might think that their struggle is directed only against the Western world, but in fact the militants kill anyone who disagrees with them, whether it is a citizen of Morocco, Spain or Nigeria. It is this, as well as the serious equipment and support of other groups that make them one of the most powerful terrorist organizations in Africa.
Author: Maxim Svistunov