so,Â Cameroon,Â Chad,Â Ethiopia,Â KenyaÂ andÂ UgandaÂ are a few examples.
These sorts of situations have the potential to fuel fundamentalist backlash.
Is Americaâs strategy working?
What is theÂ efficacy of the USâs military presenceÂ in Africa?
ResearchÂ by the Institute for Security Studies suggests thatÂ heavy-handed anti-terrorism strategiesÂ breed insecurity by making fundamentalist organisations appear attractive to ordinary citizens. The exercise of what ordinary citizens perceive to beÂ illegitimate force, on the part of state security institutions, increases the likelihood of those same citizens joining fundamentalist organisations.
But it seems these findings are being ignored. The danger is that ifÂ current patternsÂ encouraged by the US military persist, countries are likely to experience an increase in extremism. This in turn is likely to perpetuate the heavy-handedness of already illiberal regimes and theÂ vicious cycleÂ of interventionism in Africa.
In theÂ wordsÂ of former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan,
Our responses to terrorism, as well as our efforts to thwart it and prevent it, should uphold the human rights that terrorists aim to destroy.