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Piracy, cybercrime and the illegal arms trade remain major threats in Sub-Saharan Africa, even as cases of terrorism decline.
The Igad peace and security team noted the region recorded a 30 percent increase in cases of organised crime last year, emphasising the need to share intelligence, harmonise legal frameworks and strengthen the capacity to respond to threats as a region.
Speaking at the Igad Regional Cooperation and Coordination Mechanism against Transnational Security Threats Statute and Operationalisation in Mombasa, Igad Executive Secretary Workneh Gebeyehu acknowledged challenges in some countries in ratifying different conventions to fight transnational crime.“These threats have disrupted lives, weakened economies and tested the resilience of our nations. Key conventions remain to be ratified, and resource limitations continue to slow our progress, hence the need to deepen our partnerships while building on multilateral approaches,” Dr Workneh said.
Cases of sea piracy are on the increase, with at least 22 vessels captured by suspected pirates. The latest is Chinese fishing vessel, Liaoning Daping 578.
At the same time, the US has acknowledged Kenya’s role in the regional counterterrorism cooperation, particularly in East Africa in 2023.
US Department of State report on terrorism 2023 shows that Kenya recorded an 18 percent decrease in terrorist attacks in 2023 compared with 2022, with periodic terrorist attacks reported primarily along the Kenyan-Somali border.
While Kenyan security forces were the principal targets, key infrastructure also was attacked, and there were civilian casualties as well.
Looking at the five-year data, al-Shabaab’s operational tempo remained at elevated levels in 2023 in the border region, with cases of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and ambushes targeting Kenyan security forces.“The Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) continued to participate in the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia and supported border security and counter-IED efforts within Kenya. Security services responded to numerous terrorist incidents, while also disrupting al-Shabaab and ISIS-East Africa attack planning, recruitment, and travel,” the report says.
The Kenyan government worked to prevent the transit of foreign terrorist fighters, including Kenyans attempting to join al-Shabaab or ISIS-East Africa, and those returning from abroad. It detected and deterred terrorist plots and responded to dozens of terrorism-related incidents.
But the US acknowledges the uneven coordination, resource constraints, insufficient training, and unclear command and control, which hinder effective counterterrorism efforts.“There were reports that security forces committed abuses while conducting counterterrorism operations,” the US said.
Kenya is a member of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS and joined the Global Counterterrorism Forum in 2023.
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