Spike in African Terrorism Highlights the Importance of Jihadist Innovation

In War on the Rocks, FDD Senior Fellow Daveed Gartenstein-Ross outlines how adaptability is crucial to the survival of jihadist groups in Africa. Although groups like Shabaab have increased their efforts independent of the Arab Spring, Gartenstein-Ross argues that “the chaos wrought by the revolutions provided jihadist groups with unprecedented opportunities in Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, and Mali, and they capitalized.”

He also mentions how his latest FDD report, Evolving Terror, provides analysis on the political climate in which terrorism in Africa has spiked, and how these jihadist groups have adapted to their changing environment. He notes how, “In addition to the sheer number of terrorist attacks in Africa increasing, the attacks have also grown more sophisticated as jihadist groups adapted to countermeasures employed against them.” Adapt they will, he argues, because the survival and future of their group depends on it.

Read the full article from War on the Rocks here.

Daveed Gartenstein-Ross is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD). Follow him on Twitter @DaveedGR.

Follow the Foundation for Defense of Democracies on Twitter @FDD. FDD is a Washington-based, nonpartisan research institute focusing on national security and foreign policy.