Jihad in Africa. Danger in the Desert
In an interview with the Economist Jon Marks chairman of Cross Border Information points to the ongoing climatic crisis in the Sahel with desertification ,drought and floods. Governments have to cope with a catastrophic environmental situation as well as dealing with terrorists and smugglers.
Source : https://www.marocafrik.com/english/Jihad-in-Africa...
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The Sahel has long term problems of malnutrition which have been made worse by the refugee situation of those fleeing the fighting in Mali. There is a wide arc of instability which includes Algeria and Libya whose borders extend over a vast area making them difficult to police and control Jon Marks argues.
He criticises leaders like David Cameron the British Prime Minister whose speech he says resembles President George W. Bush 's words on the War Against Terror. In fact Jon Marks points out the numbers of terrorists who conduct operations like the In Amenas hostage attack are comparatively small albeit it that these groups are transational in nature..
The real danger comes from mass deprivation caused by desertication and dysfunctional governments in the Sahel who are not able to remedy the economic crisis where famers become penniless and flee to the city and cannot find jobs. These governments do not have the capacity to remedy the effects of long term drought and desertification and are not fit for purpose,Jon Marks says. Theyare also unable to handle the growingmenace of drugs and weapons smuggling onwhich many depend as the only way they can make a living.The situation is being made worse by the large numbr of refugees fleeing the fighting.
It is the dispossed who amount to millions who are the longterm danger because they willact from desperation and are prey to terrorist subversion. Despite the work of international agancies like the Red Cross and Save the Children amongst mny others world policy makers are not dealing with the main problem which is that the entire Sahel region is disfunctional and cannot support its ever growing populations. This has been a long term problem which is well known, Jon Marks points out highlighting the decline of Lake Chad. Timbuktu and other ancient cities are disappearing under the sand.
Much depends on what governments can do to remedy the situation and what they are prepared at a time of world recession in most economies..
He criticises leaders like David Cameron the British Prime Minister whose speech he says resembles President George W. Bush 's words on the War Against Terror. In fact Jon Marks points out the numbers of terrorists who conduct operations like the In Amenas hostage attack are comparatively small albeit it that these groups are transational in nature..
The real danger comes from mass deprivation caused by desertication and dysfunctional governments in the Sahel who are not able to remedy the economic crisis where famers become penniless and flee to the city and cannot find jobs. These governments do not have the capacity to remedy the effects of long term drought and desertification and are not fit for purpose,Jon Marks says. Theyare also unable to handle the growingmenace of drugs and weapons smuggling onwhich many depend as the only way they can make a living.The situation is being made worse by the large numbr of refugees fleeing the fighting.
It is the dispossed who amount to millions who are the longterm danger because they willact from desperation and are prey to terrorist subversion. Despite the work of international agancies like the Red Cross and Save the Children amongst mny others world policy makers are not dealing with the main problem which is that the entire Sahel region is disfunctional and cannot support its ever growing populations. This has been a long term problem which is well known, Jon Marks points out highlighting the decline of Lake Chad. Timbuktu and other ancient cities are disappearing under the sand.
Much depends on what governments can do to remedy the situation and what they are prepared at a time of world recession in most economies..
Source : https://www.marocafrik.com/english/Jihad-in-Africa...