According to the Global Terrorism Index, terrorism deaths in the Sahel constituted 43 per cent of the global total in 2022, compared to just one per cent in 2007. Many of the victims from these advances are civilians. Terrorist groups now control vast swaths of territory throughout the African continent.
Since gaining independence in the 1960s, many countries in the Sahel have experienced violent extremism due to the merger of weak and illegitimate governance, economic decline, and the worsening effects of climate change, according to experts.
As a result, countries in the Sahel have been overrun by terrorist groups linked to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State who are said to be making attempts to enter into West Africa.
Indeed, within sub-Saharan Africa, the Sahel is again said to be the centre of gravity for jihadist terrorism, now accounting for more terrorism deaths in 2022 than other parts of the world.
These violent attacks many fear is going to spill over from the Sahel into coastal West Africa, which risks spiralling into cascading volatility.
It is for this reason, that, countries of coastal West Africa, such as Ghana, Benin, Togo, and Ivory Coast are constantly seeking support to combat the growing jihadist threat in the region.
Although this support has been slow in coming and therefore opens up the countries for attack, the Ghanaian Times is happy that the European Union (EU) has come through with some support to help the country in its fight against terrorism.
The EU as part of its support, donated 105 militarialised vehicles to Ghana at a ceremony in Accra on Saturday.
The vehicles included; 13 Land Cruiser Pickups, 10 GMC, 82 Toyota Land Cruisers and Single Cabin Pickups.
The President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, who received the donation did not only thank the EU for the gift but underscored the crucial role of collaboration between countries in the sub-region in dealing with the raging menace of terrorism.
He, therefore, appealed to member states in the sub-region to forge closer collaboration to deal with the menace.
“No single country can confront the terrorist threat on its own, rather it will take collaborative effort among nations facing this challenge and critical support from the partners in dealing with it,” he said.
According to the President, “The latest attempt by terrorists and extremists groups to expand their scope of influence from the Sahel to Coastal West Africa is obvious. These actions pose a substantial security risk for the people and stability of Ghana.”
He said recent occurrences in neighbouring Burkina Faso, Togo and Benin underscored the need for Ghana to enhance its counter-terrorism measures.
We cannot agree more with the President that, a collaborative effort amongst nations facing this challenge and critical support from partners such as the EU is crucial in the fight against the menace.
We share in the opinion that security concerns remain a multi-national concern and there is the need for a collective effort to defeat the menace. Indeed no single country in the sub-region can tackle it alone.
