The Al-Shabaab Issue a Real and Existential Security Threat in Sierra Leone !!! “How can you have a war on terrorism when war itself is terrorism?” ― Howard Zinn Terrorism and terrorists exist because people in different societies whether it is the Middle East, The Americas, Europe or Africa feel aggrieved or disenfranchised in society due to one reason or the other, and thus result to extreme cases of violence to ensure that through their violent actions their voices are heard. These individuals are normal humans like us, who through the process of indoctrination whether political or religious have been radicalized and the thought pattern of a particular terrorist group instilled in them. These individuals are always of the fervent belief that they are fighting a just cause. They are mostly martyrs who are ready to die for what they believe in and don’t give much thought to the mayhem or carnage they leave behind whilst accomplishing their goals, much less talk of the causality rate or death toll that accompanies their actions. In places like Afghanistan, Pakistan etc. drone attacks by the United States military forces, has sometimes resulted in the death of some innocent civilians as has been reported by various international media such as CNN, Aljazeera etc. Some may choose to refer to some of these deaths as collateral damage but despite the fact that these drone attacks are targeting terrorists and their elements, these attacks are also igniting the issue of terrorism and thus fuelling the passion of terrorists for retaliatory attacks that cause even more mayhem and bloodshed. Football analysts sometimes say that the best form of defense is attack, and as Al-qaeda, Taliban and their affiliates feel that the US has brought the war of terror to their own domain, likewise does Al-Shabaab and their own cohorts feel that African countries contributing troops in Somalia are bringing the war of terror to their own doorsteps. These countries like Kenya, Uganda etc. are justified in doing what they are doing and that is trying to help Somalia fight homegrown terror like Al-Shabaab. Unfortunately however, the backlash is been felt in their countries in the form of retaliatory terror attacks on their own home soil, like the recent mall attack in Kenya. Before going any further I believe it’s in place for me to give readers a brief history of the militant group called Al-Shabaab. The full name of this terror group which is an Arabic word is; ‘Xarakada Mujaahidinta Alshabaab’ and this means…’The Youths’, ‘The Youngsters’ or ‘The Boys’. This organisation is the Somalia based cell of the militant Islamist group al-Qaeda and was formally recognized in 2012. As of May 2012, it was estimated that Al-Shaba troop strength stood at 14,426 militants. In February of 2012, the leadership of al-Qaeda quarreled with the leadership of Al-Shabaab and this brought about a split between these two factions. The group is an off-shoot of the Islamic Courts Union (ICU), which splintered into several smaller factions after its defeat in 2006 by the Somali Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and the TFGs Ethiopian military allies. Al-Shabaab describes itself as waging jihad against enemies of Islam, and is engaged in combat against the TFG and the African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM). Alleging ulterior motives on the part of foreign organizations, group members have also reportedly intimidated, kidnapped and killed aid workers, leading to a suspension of humanitarian operations and an exodus of relief agents. Al-Shabaab has been designated a terrorist organization by several Western governments and security services. (Information in this paragraph is courtesy of Wikipedia Encyclopedia). Sierra Leone, my own beloved country is currently a troop contributing country to AMISOM in Somalia and since the Westgate Mall attack in Kenya the rumor mill in Freetown especially, and Sierra Leone in general, is that Al-Shabaab has promised that there shall be a terror attack on Sierra Leonean soil. The question we should be asking ourselves is this. How prepared is the security apparatus in Sierra Leone to prevent such an attack on our sovereign land? I don’t wish or intend to sound negative or pessimistic but I’m apt to say that our security apparatus in Sierra Leone leaves much to be desired. The Office of National Security, the Sierra Leone Police and even the Sierra Leone Armed Forces may be doing their utmost best in relation to ensuring security in the country, but our greatest unbecoming in my own opinion is the lack of appropriate modern security apparatuses in both public places or buildings as well as some private offices. Let’s get down to the facts. How many offices in Sierra Leone have close monitoring televisions installed? How many offices have bomb detection machines installed? How many offices, banks, public institutions or structures like the National Stadium for example, or even Youyi building (which houses most government ministries) have full body scanners installed or even on a lesser note hand held scanners issued to any form of security personnel? The answer to these questions is that hardly any of these aforementioned structures or institutions has such security apparatuses in place. On a lighter note, a friend of mine once said that Al-Shabab will never come to Sierra Leone because our security is so lax that we do not pose a challenge to them, so they’ll prefer to go in for more sophisticated targets. On a more serious note, I need to commend the Inspector General of police because recently I was at the police headquarters and to my greatest surprise there was a police at the entrance with a hand held scanner screening people before they were allowed entry into the building. However though, this should be replicated in all public institutions and buildings. Agreeably full body scanners are more expensive, but I’m sure the government of the day can afford to purchase hand held scanners in enough quantity if they decide to do so and have these deployed across the nation. Modern vehicles can be easily equipped with bomb detection apparatuses and with this existential terrorist threat; I hope that those responsible for the security of the powers that be and even for the security of visiting dignitaries would take this suggestion into consideration. In a country like Nigeria, where the threat of a terror group like ‘Boko Haram’ is not underestimated, things like bomb detection machines are common in the motorcade of state governors, and even in their banks one has to go through a full body scanner before entering the banking halls. Security is a watch word with our fellow West Africans and I hope it shall be the same with us in Sierra Leone. We only up our security awareness level when the rumor of an imminent terrorist attack is making the rounds and as soon as the rumor dies down security awareness takes a backseat. This should not be the case. In Sierra Leone we have a saying in our lingua franca, Krio…”if are bin know nar im de cam last” (meaning if I had known always comes last), I hope that shall not be the case in relation to our security situation. Another issue that eats away at me is the porous nature of our national borders. Smuggling we all know affects the economy and makes government loose much needed revenue, but the issue of terrorism affects lives and revenue which in simple terms is money can be replaced but a life lost can never be replaced. If our borders are not well secured, these terrorists can easily infiltrate our country. The Immigration department also has a great role to play in relation to protecting our country from the threat of terror attack. INTERPOL and even other secret service agencies like the CIA, MI 6, etc. have updated lists of most terror suspects around the world. This list can be secured with the help of the Sierra Leone Police or ONS, and this list provided to all immigration personnel at all border crossings and the international airport at Lungi, were a database can be created so that the names of all visitors to Sierra Leone can be cross checked against this list. If this is been done, then find and good, if not then I think the ONS office needs to step in and aid the Immigration Department in ensuring that this is done as soon as is realistically possible. The Sierra Leonean society in general should also be very much careful that we don’t allow home grown terror cells to emerge in our society. These home grown terror cells is also a strategy of terror groups in general. If they find it had to infiltrate a country because of the security measures in place, then they normally resort to recruiting from with-in and eventually get the indigenes of that country to do their dastardly act. In other words everybody should be their brother’s keeper, and when you see a friend or relative exhibiting such tendency or embarking on such rhetoric bring it to the attention of the authorities concerned. The youths should be proactive in spotting individuals who may act as recruiters for these terror cells, because it’s the youthful populace that such individuals mostly tend to target. On this note, I’ll like to say that terrorism and the threat of terror attacks should never be taken lightly because their acts can destabilize a whole nation. A word to the wise is sufficient. LONTA!!! By Albert Jerome Momoh.
Posted on: Mon, 18 Nov 2013 11:30:05 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015