ICC Note

Christians face deadly persecution in Northern Africa where terrorist groups have rooted themselves in the empty spaces where government has failed. Boko Haram, since about 2010, has consistently been known as the most dangerous terror group with 29,360 people killed. However, with a series of military defeats by the Nigerian army, a new terror group has risen to the fore. Al-Shabaab based in Somalia, has increased their attacks across Somalia this year. An increase in terror means that religious minorities are no longer safe as they are often the primary targets of these attacks.  

06/06/2017 Somalia (Christian Times) – Somalia-based terrorist group Al-Shabaab has overtaken Nigeria’s Boko Haram as Africa’s deadliest militant group, according to new figures from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED).

The data, compiled by the Africa Center for Strategic Studies, showed that Al-Shabaab was responsible for 4,281 casualties in 2016, compared to 3,499 by Boko Haram. The third group on the list was the Islamic State militant group, which was responsible for 2,350 deaths that year, Africa News reported.

Al-Shabaab, which has ties to al-Qaeda, is largely operational in Somalia with some incursions in neighboring Kenya.

The group was responsible for the attack that killed nearly 150 students in Kenya’s Garissa University College in April 2015. In 2013, Al-Shabaab militants carried out a three-day siege, killing 67 people, at a shopping mall in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi.

Last year, The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) declared Al-Shabaab as a transnational security threat in the East Africa region.

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