A report published by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has looked at solutions to combat violent extremism in the sub-Saharan African region. According to the report, 48% of terrorism-related deaths worldwide are centred in Africa, especially in the Horn of Africa and the Sahel region.
The second edition of the UNDP report entitled “Diving into Extremism in Africa: Pathways to Recruitment and Disengagement” was released ahead of the African Union (AU) Heads of State Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on 18-19 February.
The report stated that there is a need to bring stability and progress to the African continent, by mobilising economic, social and political tools.
In this sense, UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner believes that African states and their partners must address the root causes of this phenomenon, such as poverty, unemployment, marginalisation, religious indoctrination, ethnic conflict and discrimination. These are the factors that fuel the adoption of violent ideologies by the continent’s youth, Achim Steiner continued.
The solution would be to invest in peacebuilding, political inclusion, inter-ethnic cohesion, youth empowerment, poverty alleviation and education to address violent extremism, instead of prioritising the military offensive.
Jihan Rmili