J0MUN XIII Forum: Issue: Student Officer: Position: Effectiveness of methods to eradicate international/local terrorism Minjae Lee President INTRODUCTION Terrorist threats have become more severe and diversified in recent years, and terrorism has been impeding economic and political development ever since it was born. Africa has been especially vulnerable to terrorism not only because terrorists do not limit their attacks but also because they use the local territories for training their soldiers. Due to increasing damage and fear, governments and international organizations such as OSCE, NATO, CTC, and AU have been implementing various strategies to eradicate international/local terrorism. However, terrorism by nature is driven by an ideology of a large group of people which is unlikely to get changed by an external force. Additionally, terrorism is not isolated, meaning that it takes place in multiple locations. These facts contribute to nearly impossible eradication of such violent beliefs. Therefore, it is important to acknowledge that terrorism will be present at all times and the most realistic focus of this committee is to minimize the damage of terrorists through the most effective methods. Although the majority of the strategies that have been implemented were approved before they were applied, it is necessary to re- evaluate them because the outcome and the expectation are very different. KEY TERMS Terrorism: The unofficial or unauthorized use of violence and intimidation in the pursuit of political or religious aims. International/Local Terrorism: The act of terrorism happening on an international scale: involving multiple countries, or on a local scale: involving a region or regions within the same country. Effectiveness: Degree to which something is successful in achieving a goal: eradicating local/international terrorism. Ungoverned space: Physical or non- physical area where there is an absence of state capacity or political will to exercise control. BACKGROUND Terrorist groups exist in various locations with different backgrounds. In West Africa: Nigeria, for example, is a country where Boko Haram, extreme militant Islamist group was created. Founded in 2002, Boko Haram has been
promoting a version of Islam which encourages Muslims to take part in any political or social activity associated with Western society such as voting, or receiving a secular education. This group has been bombing Northern and central Nigeria, including churches, bus ranks, bars, military barracks, and even the police and UN headquarters in the capital. Another group that shares similar religious views exist in East Africa. Al- Shabab, The Youth in Arabic, is an Islamist militant group battling the UN- backed government forces in Somalia. It is also responsible for the recent attacks in neighbouring Kenya, storming universities and shopping malls with gunmen. Even though Al- Shabab was forced out of the capital, Mogadishu, it still controls many rural areas of the country. Despite African Union (AU) s attempt in trying to minimize al- Shabab s activities further, the group still manages to carry out suicide attacks within the country and other neighbouring nations. Another influential group is called Ansar Dine, defenders of the faith, located in Northern Mali. It is an Islamist rebel group, which in 2012 took de facto control over a swath of the Sahara the size of Texas. (Who Is Ansar Dine) Led by Iyad Ag Ghaly, the former senior commander of a rebel military group in 1990 s, Ansar Dine operates in largely ungoverned territories of the Sahara. Its ultimate goal is the imposition of strict sharia law throughout Mali (Who Is Ansar Dine), forbidding certain acts or movements that endangered the value of faith according to it. The terrorists mentioned above are only a few of the main groups in the continent. With multiple powerful, growing terrorist groups in Africa, international organizations such as OSCE, NATO, CTC, ECOWAS, CTITF, and AU have been implementing various strategies to eradicate the groups. However, increasing risk of the locals safety due to growing size of the groups and more frequent attacks have been causing an average of 37,000 deaths a year, further extending the long roads ahead to peace. KEY ISSUES Ungoverned spaces: Terrorist groups settle down in largely ungoverned areas. Typical examples of the ungoverned spaces are Northern regions in Kenya and Nigeria, locations that are extremely vulnerable to corruption, undermining citizens faith in state institutions. Terrorist groups such as Boko Haram and Al- Shabab took the advantage of misgoverned spaces of these countries and grew from local extremist, religious groups to extremely dangerous terrorists who pose great threats to the continent. Large network formed by alliances: Such strong alliances formed between large terrorist groups are huge problems to anti- terrorism organizations. Recently, on 7 th of March, Abubakar Shekau, leader of Boko Haram, announced an allegiance to Abu Bakr al- Baghdidi, the leader of the Islamic State (IS, aka ISIS). Such alliance formed between 2 of the world s strongest and brutal terrorist organizations has been giving the groups opportunities to develop their sources of financing, arms, and recruits. Furthermore, strong connection with the trafficking of people, drugs, and arms across continent has allowed for rapid growth and increased influences. In short, terrorist groups are increasingly working together, across borders, regions, and continents. (Quinlan, Gary) Low capacity and lack of participation of many African States: Low capacity of many African states prevents them from effectively supporting anti- terrorism organizations. Lack of police force and governments failure to effectively extend state authorities to regional areas deter active identification of the terrorists and resistance against them. Furthermore, many African governments have not
demonstrated enough commitment towards anti- terrorism, with a reason being that the terrorist attacks have not occurred in their countries. Therefore, only countries that have experienced severe damage have contributed enough, which was still insufficient to fight the terrorists. TIMELINE OF RECENT COUNTER- TERRORISM EVENTS *The following table does not demonstrate all counter- terrorism events in the last decade. Time 2002-2008 Event The Horn of Africa: Object of the most intense and the most militarized U.S response to terrorism in Africa. Task force started since 2002; In 2006, U.S provided silent backing, intelligence, and military support to an Ethiopian invasion of Somalia to dislodge a radical Islamic government that had taken power in the capital. In 2008, U.S bombed Southern Somalia in an attempt to kill one of the terrorists involved in the embassy bombings of 1998. 2012 CTITF; Middle East and North Africa Regional Symposium on "Fair trial and due process in the counter- terrorism context" 2013 CTITF; Regional workshop on the implementation of the United Nations Global Counter- Terrorism Strategy in West Africa and the Sahel Region, Abuja, Nigeria. Conference was held by CTITF participants to evaluate the success of the implementation of the strategies the organization had used. 2014 April 2014 September OSCE; Counter- Terrorism Conference intends to facilitate a discussion on current challenges, issues, and policy options in key areas for international cooperation in the fight against terrorism. African Union; Held in Nairobi, Kenya, Peace and Security Council 455th Meeting at the Level of Heads of State and Government aims to take take note on the report of terrorism and violent extremism in Africa, welcome the efforts made by the member states to combat terrorism through enhanced legislation, operational capability and coordination, and stress the urgency in countering terrorism, of renewed efforts to address the prevailing conflict and crisis situations on the continent. (African Union) MAJOR PARTIES AND COUNTRIES INVOLVED United Nations Counter- Terrorism Implementation Task Force (CTITF): Counter- terrorism organization that was established by the Secretary- General in 2005 and endorsed by the General Assembly through the United Nations Global Counter- Terrorism Strategy. Its primary task is the provision of necessary policy support and spreading of in- depth knowledge of the strategy, expedite delivery of technical assistance if needed. African Union (AU):
Emerged from the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), AU is a union with 51 members that works for closer political integration among African nations. Its founding charter mandates it to work for democracy, human rights and development, while it also promotes investment in the continent and sends peacekeepers to trouble spots. (Pax- Africa) OSCE (Organization for Security and Co- operation in Europe): International organization that encompasses politico- military, economic and environmental, and human aspects. It address a wide range of security- related concerns, including arms control, confidence and security building measures, human rights, national minorities, democratization, policing strategies, counter- terrorism, and economic and environmental activities. (OSCE. Who We Are) It consists of 57 participating states with equal status. Although none of the states is African, this organization has been implementing various strategies to fight terrorism in Africa. NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization): Intergovernmental military alliance based on the North Atlantic Treaty which was signed on 4th of April in 1949. It is currently composed of 28 members, and it is committed to peaceful resolution of disputes. However, if diplomatic efforts fail, it is willing to undertake crisis- management operations with sufficient military capacity. CTC (Counter Terrorism Committee): Established by Security Council resolution 1373 (2001), CTC is a committee of UN that monitors implementation of resolution 1373 which requested countries to apply a number of methods intended to enhance their legal and institutional ability to counter terrorist activities at home, in their regions and around the world. It consists of all 15 Security Council members. Nigeria: Origin of Boko Haram, extreme militant Islamist group. Somalia: Al- Shabab, another Islamist militant group in battling the UN- backed government forces. Mali: Base of an Islamist rebel group: Ansar Dine, ruler of large ungoverned areas of the Sahara. PREVIOUS ATTEMPTS TO ERADICATE TERRORISM CTITF implemented resolution 1373, solution by Security Council that contained certain anti- terrorism requirements obligatory on all states, including by requiring them to: o Prevent the financing and other forms of support to terrorists o Deny safe haven to terrorists o Make acts of terrorism extraditable offences o Establish the requisite legal regime and the operational mechanism to provide mutual legal assistance in criminal matters with regard acts of terrorism o Become parties to and implement the provisions of the 12 anti- terrorism conventions and protocols.
The AU s counter- terrorism framework consists of the OAU convention and Plan of Action and the institutional framework of the Peace and Security Department of the AU Commission and the ACSRT (operational mechanisms) (Counter- Terrorism Implementation) The CTITF was tasked with creating synergies between the two often seemingly incongruent sides of the UN system: security and development. It has been implementing the UN Strategy, including its programming in Africa such as removal of key characters of terrorist groups, cutting of the supply network of terrorists, deploying of peace keepers to retrieve the land controlled by the terrorists, and raising awareness about the terrorists movements through intelligence. POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS Ensure that peacekeepers are provided with sufficient supply needed for survival under the terrorists resource cut in order to prevent the locals from joining the terrorist groups. Remove key characters (leaders) of the terrorist groups in order to create a chaos within the groups and promote the break- down of the leadership system. Deploy peacekeepers to regions around the terrorist- controlled areas in order to limit the terrorists movements and protect the individuals within the regions from the terrorists attacks. Subsidize foreign importers to the conflicted regions in order to reduce the amount of contraband entering the area. Organize political discussions between the representatives of the UN, AU, and various terrorist groups with no violence involved in order to discuss about possible regression of the terrorists under certain conditions. WORKS CITED "About Us UN Counter- Terrorism Committee." UN News Center. UN, n.d. Web. 12 May 2015. "African Union." Peace and Security Council 455th Meeting at the Level of Heads of State and Government, Nairobi, Kenya. African Union, n.d. Web. 12 May 2015. "Chapter 2. Country Reports: Africa Overview." U.S. Department of State. U.S. Department of State, n.d. Web. 12 May 2015. "Countering Terrorism." NATO. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 May 2015. "Counter- Terrorism Implementation Task Force, CTITF." UN News Center. UN, n.d. Web. 12 May 2015. "Counter- terrorism." Peaceau. African Union Peace and Society, n.d. Web. 12 May 2015. * Expert Paper Prepared By The Office Of The Special Adviser On Africa. "Africa and International Counterterrorism Imperatives*." United Nations Office of the Special Adviser on Africa Africa and International Counterterrorism Imperatives* (n.d.): n. pag. United Nations Office of the Special Adviser on Africa. United Nations Office of the Special Adviser on Africa. Web. 12 May 2015.
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