African Union Counterterrorism Frameworks and Implementation Trends among Member States of the East African Community

J. Tochukwu Omenma and Moses Onyango
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J. Tochukwu Omenma: J. Tochukwu Omenma is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Department of Politics and International Relations, University of Johannesburg, South Africa; and Senior Lecturer/Senior Research Fellow, Institute of African Studies, University of Nigeria, Nsukka.
Moses Onyango: Moses Onyango lectures International Relations in the department of International Relations at the United States International University, Africa. He is currently a PhD candidate at the University of Johannesburg in the department of Politics and international Relations. He is the Director of the Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at the United States International University, Africa. Moses is a Fellow of Higher Education Academy.

India Quarterly: A Journal of International Affairs, 2020, vol. 76, issue 1, 103-119

Abstract: Attacks from violent extremist organisations have reached unprecedented levels in Africa. Boko Haram, al-Shabaab, al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and Islamic State and Sinai Peninsula activities account for the majority of high attacks and fatality rates. Their membership cuts across national borders; some have established a presence in local communities, while others are controlling territories in a number of states. This continues to happen despite regional measures such as the Algiers Plan of Action on the Prevention and Combating of Terrorism (2002) and the African Model Anti-Terrorism Law (2011) to contain the activities of violent extremist groups on the continent. The prevailing argument shows that the African Union has initiated several legislations and protocols to contain terrorism on the continent, but the Union lacks the capacity to enforce legislations. Relying on the cost–benefit theoretical explication, we conclude that member states of the East African Community prefer to partner with external organisations in counterterrorism programmes which result in conflicting cross-border rules and challenges in countering violent extremism in Africa.

Keywords: Counterterrorism; violent extremism; regional integration; African Union; East African Community; ratification of protocols (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:indqtr:v:76:y:2020:i:1:p:103-119

DOI: 10.1177/0974928419901197

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