Experts Call for Broader Counter-Terrorism Approaches at Horn of Africa Workshop
Security experts and policymakers have urged African governments to adopt more comprehensive counter-terrorism strategies that go beyond military force, warning that the continent’s growing terrorism challenge is driven by governance, economic, and social factors.
The call was made during a two-day virtual workshop titled “Counter-Terrorism in the Horn of Africa: Emerging Threats, Regional Dynamics and Strategic Responses,” held on 15–16December 2025 and organized by the Horn of Africa Institute for Peace and Security (HOAIPS). The event brought together regional and international experts to examine evolving terrorist threats across Africa.
Day one of the workshop featured expert presentations by Professor Rohan Gunaratna and Professor C. Nna-Emeka Okereke, with discussions moderated by Natascha Hryckow. Speakers analyzed why Africa has become the global epicentre of terrorism, pointing to the spread of extremist groups across the Horn of Africa, the Sahel, and coastal West Africa, as well as the growing links between terrorism, organized crime, illegal mining, trafficking networks, and climate-related pressures.
Participants emphasized the limitations of purely military responses and stressed the importance of strengthening governance, intelligence capabilities, and community-based approaches. The Sahel was identified as a key hotspot where fragility and cross-border crime intersect with extremist violence. The workshop concluded with calls for enhanced regional cooperation, improved intelligence sharing, stronger legal and counter-terrorism financing frameworks, and greater investment in prevention and counter-radicalisation efforts.
