How did the Sahel become the epicenter of global terrorism? Minutes of the June 22 conference
“How did the Sahel become the epicenter of global terrorism? “. This question raised by the Geneva Geostrategic Observatory was the subject of an extremely interesting debate held at the University of Geneva on Thursday 22 June.
Alain Juillet, former director of intelligence at the DGSE, Paul Kananura, political scientist, and president of the Afrika Institute and Rémi Baudoui, professor of political science and international relations at the University of Geneva recalled how and why the Sahel had become epicenter of global terrorism before drawing up a complete map of the various groups operating in the region. A precise and rigorous presentation which highlighted the lack of foresight of the international community. Which today trembles at the idea that this new bastion of jihadism could sooner or later present a threat to Western countries.
In the audience were present students and professors from the University of Geneva and foreign research institutes, representatives of international organizations, diplomats, and journalists.
Rémi Baudoui, professor at the University of Geneva and specialist in the question of terrorism opened the conference by recalling the influence of contemporary world events on the situation in the Sahel. And to evoke the factors which explain the deterioration of the overall situation of the countries of the Sahelian zone. The emergence of violence through crime, militias and vigilante groups and terrorism are constantly growing phenomena in the region.
Alain Juillet introduced his presentation with an overview of the different religious and historical influences on the region.
The latter underlined the consequences of colonization on the political balance of the countries concerned. It is also an opportunity to mention the different intra-national divisions between peoples of the South and the North. Resentment fueled by memories of past conflicts remains a powerful catalyst for rivalries. The fall of Colonel Gaddafi, the exodus of Algerian Islamists pushed back to the South and the strategies of the surrounding powers have a heavy influence on the situation in the Sahel. The numerous national, regional, and international conflicts and disagreements have led to an implosion of the balance within this space. Added to this is the incomplete management of counter-terrorism operations by the Western powers. This has favored the emergence of a nebula of terrorist groups that feed on the resentment of populations against foreign powers.
According to Paul Kananura, instability affects the guarantee of social security, which is currently absent in the countries of the Sahel. He regrets that international operations such as Operation Barkane, Operation Serval and the UN operation were not followed by maintenance to ensure stability downstream from military victories against terrorists. On the other hand, the operations were preceded by malicious actions by some local groups. Local conflicts that have become international because of their importance are also prey to political manipulation, through finely played reshuffles. Paul Kananura drew a picture of all aspects of Sahelian society, concluding that the region is the victim of long-lasting and global instability. He questions: where do the resources of the terrorists unavailable in the region come from? Is it the right strategy to attack a global modus operandi (terrorism) rather than a specific group? Would it be efficient to group anti-terrorism strategies instead of developing several at the same time according to the positions of the partners? The presence of new counter-terrorism actors and the convergence of military strategies, viable development and the rights of the population are to be hoped for to achieve a reduction in acts of terrorism in the Sahel.
The exchanges that followed highlighted another underlying political problem related to the Sahara issue. A participant asked if Algeria could claim to play in the fight against terrorism in the Sahel while it supports the Polisario, some of whose members are implicated in terrorism cases or involved in trafficking. And, to wonder if the rapprochement of Algeria with Russia and Iran would not reshuffle the cards in terms of partnership in the fight against terrorism. Asked about the Sahrawi question which arose during the debate, Alain Juillet replied that in “Western Sahara, the solution must go through a negotiation which must lead to a form of autonomy. However, I am not sure that autonomy is desired by everyone. What Algeria wants, who supports the Sahrawis, is access to the sea and if a country is autonomous, access to the sea is hardly guaranteed”.
It should be noted that the presence of Alain Juillet as a panelist for this conference-debate was a requirement of Mr. Alain Jourdan, with the aim of conferring more credibility on the event and attracting the public, in inviting a well-known personality in the world of intelligence with expertise in the file.
The Sahel: How it Became the Epicenter of Terrorism
