Egyptian NGO sheds light on high number of terrorism victims in Africa in 1 month

CAIRO – 13 April 2022: Egypt-based Maat for Peace, Development and Human Rights issued Wednesday its monthly report dubbed "Lens of Terror Operations on the African Continent" for March 2022.

The NGO recorded 710 victims in that month down from 747 in February, in addition to injuries, and violations of human rights. The most affected region is West Africa with 339 victims (47.7 percent), while the least harmed is North Africa with 35 (4.9 percent).

The country that had the highest number of terrorism victims last month is Nigeria, as Boko Haram and the Islamic Sate launched attacks that killed 159 individuals.

Head of Maat for Peace, Development and Human Rights  Ayman Aqil stated that the spread of terror groups on the continent has an indirect influence on human rights in Africa. That is because terrorism pushes the governments of some states to raise the budget allocated to counterterrorism at the expense of enhancing public utilities and the status of human rights.

The rightist recommended that international and regional bodies appoint special envoys on security, violence and terrorism in Africa. He suggests that such envoys can play a role in reinforcing the implementation of international humanitarian law, in light of the current surge in armed violence across the five African regions.  

In a related context, The Coordination Committee of the Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF) endorsed Thursday the joint nomination of Egypt and the European Union (EU) to chair the organization succeeding Canada and Morocco.

For Egypt, the chairmanship will begin March 2023 and end in March 2025, while the EU will assume office in September 2022 and hands over its duties in September 2024.

In a press statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted that the new position Egypt won is a confirmation of the members' appreciation for the leading role played by the country in the realm of countering terrorism on the regional and international levels, and its constant efforts on that front.  

The ministry indicated that Egypt intends to capitalize on its experience with combating terrorism to push forward the implementation of the forum's 2021-2031 strategic vision document. That is in addition to reinforcing the effectiveness of the international counterterrorism system, and supporting the endeavors of members states to carry out the United Nations Global Counterterrorism Strategy.

Egypt also aims for bolstering care to Africa and needs of developing countries, as well as enhancing existing coordination between the GCTF and the regional mechanisms concerned with combating terrorism. Simultaneously, the country will continue proposing initiatives that would have a tangible impact through the forum's task forces.

The GCTF was founded in 2011 as a multilateral mechanism that offers a platform for counterterrorism officials to exchange experience and knowledge of relevant best practices. That is in coordination with counterterrorism UN agencies, regional, and international organizations.

Egypt is one of the founding states of the 30-member forum, and has been co-chairing since 2017, along with the EU, the task force whose mission is the anti-terrorism capacity-building of East African states. Prior to that post, Egypt and the United States co-chaired the Criminal Justice and Rule of Law task force in 2011-2017.