Ayman Okeil: Alongside terrorism, the flames of ethnic clashes in Nigeria flare up, and the situation is alarming

Basant Essam: The Ethiopian government must assume its responsibility on the terrorism it practiced in Tigray

Maat for Peace, Development, and Human Rights released its monthly report on the most prominent terrorist operations and the counter-terrorism efforts in Africa for February 2021, to track down terrorist groups and come up with recommendations and assessments of the current and future security situation in the African continent..

The report uncovered the details of the most prominent terrorist incidents that occurred in February 2021 in each of the five regions of the continent. At least 56 terrorist attacks have been launched, causing the death of at least 413 people, either as a result of ethnic clashes or terrorist attacks..

With 1324 deaths, caused by 21 terrorist incidents, West Africa reported the highest number of terrorist attacks and incidents this month. Nigeria came at the forefront of the countries affected by terrorism this month, with 10 terrorist attacks and 147 deaths. However, Somalia reported the largest number of terrorist operations, given the recent activity of the Al-Shabaab movement, which carried out 13 terrorist operations..

With regard to combating terrorism, the concerted efforts succeeded in bringing down nearly 174 terrorist elements, after launching at least 13 qualitative operations, either at land or air. Nigeria was at the forefront of countries succeeded in bringing down the largest number of terrorist elements; in February 2021, Nigeria launched 4 military operations, bringing down 100 terrorists.

In light of this report, Ayman Okeil, a human rights expert and the president of Maat for Peace, Development and Human Rights, warned that an impending humanitarian crisis may befall Nigeria, in addition to the incursion of terrorism into its lands and neighboring countries, as ethnic strife became a serious threat to the lives of many Nigerians. Okeil urged the Nigerian government to raise the level of citizens' awareness of the importance of national identity, as opposed to tribal affiliation, in order to confront the threat of terrorism and widespread organized crime.

Basant Essam El-Din, a researcher at the African Affairs and Sustainable Development Unit at Maat, explained that the terrorist acts carried out by the Ethiopian government internally and externally must be taken into account. The Ethiopian encroachments upon the Sudanese territories, as well as the killing and terrorizing of the Sudanese, must stop immediately so that the entire region is not drawn into a new war, which price only civilians will pay. Ms. Essam El-Din added that the Ethiopian government must assume its responsibility for the humanitarian tragedies that resulted from the Tigray crisis, in which the central government practiced terrorism and war crimes against international humanitarian law.

Maat is deeply concerned about Africa because it serves as a member organization of the Economic, Social, and Cultural Council of the African Union (ECOSOCC) and as a monitor in the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights. Besides, Maat is the North Africa Coordinator for the NGO Major Group for Africa affiliated to the UN high-level political forum..