Guterres says that “desperation, poverty and hunger” create “fertile ground” for the expansion of terrorist groups
March 29 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Secretary General of the United Nations, António Guterres, has warned that the threat of terrorism “is especially worrying” in Africa because “desperation, poverty and hunger”, among other elements, create “fertile ground” for the expansion of terrorist groups.
“Desperation, poverty, hunger, lack of basic services, unemployment and unconstitutional changes in government continue to provide fertile ground for the growing expansion of terrorist groups to infect new parts of the continent,” Guterres said.
“I am deeply concerned about the progress made by terrorist groups in the Sahel and elsewhere. Community by community, they are trying to extend their reach,” he warned, before adding that “the trail of terror is increasing, with fighters, funds and weapons increasingly flowing between regions and across the continent.
Thus, he stressed that “new alliances are being forged with organized crime groups and pirates”, while “the ‘online’ world provides a global platform for the propagation of violent ideologies”. “No age, culture, religion, nationality or religion is immune, but the situation in Africa is especially worrying,” she said.
Guterres explained that “terrorism reinforces its dominance by seeking and exploiting weaknesses and instability in political, economic and security systems, taking advantage of the fears and vulnerabilities of people who face extreme poverty, hunger and famine”.
In this way, he has said that these groups “exploit inequalities and social exclusion to aggravate tensions” and added that “they trade in the eternal evils of prejudice and discrimination directed at specific groups, cultures, religions and ethnicities” while they engage in “criminal activities such as money laundering and illegal mining, trafficking in arms, drugs, precious minerals, antiquities, and human beings.”
“They promote lies, hate and misinformation in cyberspace. They keep women and girls under a constant cloud of intimidation, as well as sexual and gender-based violence. They ignore or bypass the rule of law,” denounced the Secretary General of the United Nations.
However, Guterres has explained that “just as terrorism drives people away, confronting it can unite countries.” “We see this in Africa, which hosts various regional initiatives against terrorism and joint efforts in the Sahel, the Lake Chad basin, Mozambique and beyond,” he stressed.
Thus, he has emphasized the “renewed determination of African leaders when it comes to facing this developing threat” and has asserted that “the UN is together with Africa to put an end to this scourge, which includes political guidance, technical assistance and support for sanctions regimes by the Security Council”.
“First and foremost, it includes our close collaboration with the African Union (AU) and regional and sub-regional organizations in Africa. We are providing tailored assistance to African member states, including in the areas of prevention, legal assistance, investigation, prosecution, reintegration, rehabilitation and protection of Human Rights”, he said.
For this reason, it has called on the member states of the international organization to support “this vital work” and has advocated “finding new ways to deal more affectively with structural conditions that create fertile ground for the spread of terrorism.”
Guterres has outlined that “it is necessary to place Human Rights at the center of these efforts” and has stressed that “terrorism represents the denial and destruction of Human Rights”. “The fight against it will never succeed if we perpetuate the same denial and destruction,” he said.
In this way, he recalled that “the evidence shows that anti-terrorism efforts that focus solely on security, instead of Human Rights, can inadvertently increase marginalization and exclusion, which further worsens the situation” .
“The proposed New Agenda for Peace establishes a holistic and comprehensive position to build more peaceful and stable societies in which terrorism and violent extremism have no place, through prevention and by addressing the economic and social situations that may lead to to terrorism,” he argued.
The Secretary General reiterated that “this requires inclusion, guaranteeing that anti-terrorist strategies reflect the experiences of all communities, especially minorities, women and youth, always placing Human Rights and the rule of law at the center of what is done”.
