Countries in sub-Saharan Africa are the new hotbed for terrorism, United

Nairobi: The neglected and underdeveloped sub-Saharan African countries are the new hotbed of terrorism. The United Nations has warned that due to unemployment, the youth are being radicalized to join terrorist organizations. Terrorist attacks worldwide have declined but have increased in the sub-Saharan region, which is a matter of concern.

The sub-Saharan region has all the African countries south of the Sahara Desert. In 2017, the United Nations Development Organization (UNDP) reported that many people are joining terrorist organizations in sub-Saharan countries due to religious reasons and social discontent. However, the UNDP says that the impact of terrorism and radicalization has increased multifold in the last five years.

The report of UNDP was based on a survey of 2200 people across Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Somalia, and Sudan. More than 1000 people admitted having worked for some terrorist organizations. The recruitment of radicalized youth in terrorist organizations such as Boko Haram, Al-Shabaab, Al Qaeda and IS has increased by 94%. The main reason, which is evident for such large recruitment, is unemployment and financial crisis in these countries.

Unemployed youth joining terrorist organizations have committed mass violence for money. The report of UNDP informs that 18417 people have died in 4155 terror attacks in sub-Saharan countries in the last five years. It also highlights that despite military actions, there is minimal impact on stopping terrorism. The report warns that if this must change, providing employment and reviving the economies of the sub-Saharan countries is necessary.