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Africa’s constantly evolving militant Islamist threat

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The threat from militant Islamist groups in Africa over the past decade has steadily grown—with almost three times the number of annual violent events...

Root causes of Cabo Delgado terrorism need to be addressed – expert

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Until the world understands – and addresses – the root causes of the crisis in Cabo Delgado, there will never be a lasting solution,...

Sub-Saharan Africa becoming less peaceful, new report reveals

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Sub-Saharan Africa is the second least peaceful region of the world behind the Middle East and North Africa, with three of the ten least...

Majority of Islamic State group attacks target African countries

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The Islamic State group (IS) claims that it committed 788 attacks globally in the first half of 2024. Of those attacks, 536 were in...


Will al-Shabaab get stronger in Ethiopia? Two reasons why it’s unlikely – analyst

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There have been numerous reports of arrests of al-Shabaab insurgents, the dismantling of an al-Shabaab terrorist network and interception of arms in Ethiopia in...

Security at National Key Points explained

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General Fannie Masemola’s SA Police Service (SAPS) is, according to Minister in The Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, mandated to co-ordinate provision of physical security at...

MP assured South African State Security Agency on top of terrorism threats

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Concerns expressed by an MKP (uMkhonto we Sizwe Party) Member of Parliament (MP) as regards South Africa being a logistic hub for terrorist organisations...

SSA advised Home Affairs arrest of Libyans at White River military training camp

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The entry into South Africa earlier this year of Libyan nationals subsequently discovered at an illegal White River military training camp was detected through...

Can ECOWAS revive its counter-terrorism efforts?

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In 2019, leaders of West African countries adopted the ambitious 2020-2024 Priority Action Plan to Eradicate Terrorism in the Economic Community of West African...

Nigeria’s terror group Lakurawa is nothing new – it exists because of government’s failure:...

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The Nigerian army has spoken of attacks on the Niger-Nigeria border in 2024 as being carried out by a new terrorist group. "This sect is...

Mozambique the most overt manifestation of terrorism in southern Africa

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Terrorist activity in Mozambique is the most prominent and overt manifestation of jihadi terrorism in southern Africa, according to a new report. The Middle East...

South Africa facing three major terrorism threats – expert

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Right wing extremist groups, Islamist terrorism, and generating funding for terrorist networks are the three main terrorism threats facing South Africa, according to Institute...

Ntshavheni issues regulations on intelligence coordination to address shortcomings

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Democratic Alliance Member of Parliament Nicholas Myburgh has asked Minister in the Presidency for Intelligence, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, whether she has found the National Intelligence...

Separation of SSA is “underway”, but still no National Security Strategy

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“The process to establish the new South African Intelligence Service (Foreign Service) and South African Intelligence Agency (Domestic Service) is well under way,” says...

Terror attacks increase in Togo as Sahel extremists encroach

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Violent extremist organizations from northern Benin and Burkina Faso are increasingly targeting northern Togo as conflicts from the Sahel spill into coastal countries. Four people...

ISIS-K’s expanding ops encompass media propaganda and military fronts in Africa

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The ever-evolving threat posed by ISIS-Khorasan (ISIS-K) was a key focus of the recent Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS Ministerial (D-ISIS Ministerial) meeting, with...

Growing danger of terrorist jailbreaks in West Africa

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The attack on the well-fortified Koutoukale prison in Niger’s Tillabéri Region on 11 July followed two failed attempts in 2016 and 2019. In this...

Al-Shabaab is 18 years old: six factors behind the Somali militant group’s resilience

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The United Nations security council unanimously voted on 15 August 2024 to extend the mandate of the 12,626 men and women of the African...

White River military training camp was illegal – PSiRA

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The Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority (PSiRA) has served the owners of Milites Dei Security Services (MDSS) with notices of suspension after determining that...

Police intelligence aware of White River training camp “for quite some time”

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National Police Commissioner Fanie Masemola has said police intelligence was aware of the White River camp that was training Libyan nationals for quite some...

In Libya, everything comes down to military muscle

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The arrest of Libyans who allegedly received military training in South Africa hints at the nature of power in the north African country. Were 95...

White River military camp training unlawful – PSiRA

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In the wake of the discovery of the illegal military training camp in White River, Mpumalanga, the Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority (PSiRA), has...

Investigation into illegal White River military training camp still ongoing

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Police and Home Affairs officials are continuing to investigate an illegal military training camp in White River, Mpumalanga, with firearms recovered and 95 Libyan...

Police arrest 95 Libyan nationals at suspected military training base in Mpumalanga

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The South African Police Service (SAPS) has uncovered what it believes to be a military training camp in White River, and has apprehended 95...

SSA Ready To Build State Capacity

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On Monday 15 July, Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni addressed members of parliament during the Budget Vote for the State Security Agency (SSA),...

Growing international organised crime requires a global strategy to counteract it

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Organised crime has become a threat to international peace and security, with more than 80 per cent of the world’s population living in countries...

New faces in Cabinet JCPS cluster

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More clarity regarding the workings of the seventh democratic South Africa Cabinet, sworn into office last week, can be expected post this week’s two-day...

Burkina Faso takes over from Afghanistan as most terrorism-affected country

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Last year Burkina Faso surpassed Afghanistan as the country most impacted by terrorism, with nearly 2 000 deaths as the global terrorism epicentre shifts...

Boko Haram factional violence worries Islamic State

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In October 2023, Boko Haram’s JAS faction (Jama’atu Ahlis-Sunna Lidda’Awati Wal-Jihad) launched major offensives against the group’s other faction – Islamic State West Africa...

Sudan’s civil war is rooted in its historical favouritism of Arab and Islamic identity

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The current civil war in Sudan goes beyond a simple power struggle between two generals. It reflects a deep-rooted crisis within the country’s governing...

Africa is the new global terrorism epicentre

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The epicentre of terrorism has shifted out of the Middle East and into the Central Sahel, which now accounts for over half of all...

Global terrorism deaths on the increase

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Global deaths from terrorism have risen to their highest level since 2017, with 8 352 deaths recorded in 2023, a new report has found. The...

Lake Chad Basin states can sever terrorism’s lifeline – its financing

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Nigeria recently sanctioned several individuals and entities for allegedly financing terrorism. The list includes six Nigerians sentenced to 10 years to life in prison...

GILAB is ‘still too authoritarian’ says OUTA

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The National Assembly’s adoption of the General Intelligence Laws Amendment Bill (GILAB) on 24 March underlines the need for an active civil society to...

Deaths linked to militant Islamist violence in Africa continue to spiral

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Fatalities linked to militant Islamist violence jumped by 20 percent in the past year, claiming more than 23,000 lives—a new record. Over 80 percent...

Russia’s Africa Corps – more than old wine in a new bottle

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The Russian military company Wagner appears to have been renamed the Africa Corps by Moscow, and brought under the control of Russia’s Defence Ministry....

From global jihad to local insurgencies: the changing nature of Sub-Saharan jihadism

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For more than a decade the Islamist insurgency in Sub-Saharan Africa has seemed unstoppable. 2022 saw another uptick in jihadist violence across the continent. Fatalities...

OUTA calls for a redraft of the intelligence laws amendment bill

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The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA) is deeply concerned about the implications of the General Intelligence Laws Amendment Bill (GILAB), believing it risks compromising...

Wagner Group is now Africa Corps – what this means for Russia’s operations on...

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In August 2023, Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin died after his private jet crashed about an hour after taking off in Moscow. He had...

South Africa’s proposed new spying law is open for comment – an expert points...

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In early 2021, the South African Constitutional Court found that the country’s State Security Agency, through its signals intelligence agency, the National Communication Centre,...

Integrated East Africa needed to meet regional threats

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The senior civilian in the Kenyan defence sector called for “a peaceful, secure and integrated” East Africa to meet threats facing the region. Speaking at...

South Africa’s new intelligence bill is meant to stem abuses – what’s good and...

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When South Africa became a constitutional democracy in 1994, it replaced its apartheid-era intelligence apparatus with a new one aimed at serving the country’s...

CAR and Uganda enter military co-operation agreement

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Uganda this week entered a military co-operation agreement with a country it shares no border with - the Central African Republic (CAR). Ugandan Minister of...

Is SAPS Crime Intelligence turning the corner?

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Media headlines and social media have in recent months and days been trumpeting major Police, Crime Intelligence (CI) and Asset Forfeiture Unit successes across...
Interpol investigators at a HAECHI site with an arrested suspect. Picture: Interpol

Six-month Interpol operation yields $300 million

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South Africa was one of 34 countries involved in a six-month long Interpol financial crime operation that saw over three thousand arrests and confiscation...

UN arms embargo on Somalia lifted

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As the ATMIS (African Union Transition Mission on Somalia) continues its troop drawdown, the lifting of a 31-year-long United Nations (UN) arms embargo on...

Spy Bill “missing the bus” on preventing political abuse – ISS

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Despite recently narrowing its scope and abandoning vetting of non-governmental organisations, South Africa’s controversial “Spy Bill” still does not address the core challenge of...

Côte d’Ivoire must cut ties between terrorists and illicit markets

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Following a surge in terror attacks in 2020 and 2021, north-eastern Côte d’Ivoire has since seen a period of relative calm. Violent extremists haven’t...

Terrorists target the Sahel’s gold mines as a source of financing

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Artisanal gold mines in the Sahel have become the targets of terrorist groups operating in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger. The groups smuggle gold...