AFRICA - Is Africa the new battle field in the war on terrorism?

Friday, 9 February 2007

Rome (Fides Service)- Could Africa be the new battle field in the war waged by the United States and its allies against terrorism inspired by the figure of Bin Laden? This is the question which emerges when reading events of recent weeks.
According to a local newspaper in Madagascar a leading Al Qaida member Fazul Abdullah Mohammed is hiding in the Indian Ocean island. Fazul Abdullah Mohammed is listed by the US government as one of the 35 most wanted terrorists suspected of involvement in bombing attacks on American Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998, which killed 228 people and injured another 5,000. Washington has promised a 5 million reward for his capture and according to Midi Madagasikara which quotes various sources including military fonts, Mohammed is head of Al Qaida operations in east Africa and his hiding place is the city port Majunga, north western Madagascar. However so far the government of Antananarivo has neither confirmed nor denied Fazul Abdullah Mohammed’s presence on the Island.
Also in Madagascar, on 31 January, a brother in law of Osama bin Laden, Saudi businessman Mohammed Jamal Khalifa was killed at his home during what appeared to be an armed robbery. According to local sources contacted by Fides, the mysterious death of Khalifa triggered polemic in the country. “Some local newspapers- the sources told Fides - reporting news seen in Arab media, attributed the killing of Khalifa to foreign secret services, and accused the Malagasy government of supplying the executors with necessary information”.
While the international community is discussing how to restore stability in Somalia (see Fides 8 February 2007) seen by several capitals as conquering territory for Islamic extremism, Western African countries are not immune from the danger represented by this subversive ideology. In Nigeria a Muslim preacher was charged with taking 300,000 US dollars from Al Qaida to helpa terrorist group known as the Nigerian Taliban, active in the north of the country (see Fides 23 September 2004). At the beginning of 2004, Nigerian Taliban carried out several attacks in Yobe State and a number of the militants were killed or captured by the local police. Nigerian security forces say the surviving members of the group took refuge in neighbouring Niger, where they re-organised in view of fresh attacks. The security forces say the group consists of no more than a few hundred particularly hardened militants.
Northern Africa’s Sahel region has trouble with the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat GSPC of Algerian origin but active also in Morocco, Tunisia, Mali and Mauritania.
GSPC was the focus of a meeting in Dakar, Senegal, of military representatives of the United States and 9 African countries, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Mauritania, Nigeria, Niger, Mali, Chad and Senegal. The participants agreed to intensify anti-terrorism collaboration and Washington offered new means (including satellite photographs) to help its African partners. The creation of an African Military Command, Africom, is another proof Africa’s growing importance in the eyes of the US military leaders. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 9/2/2007 righe 46 parole 515)


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