Abstract
Terrorism poses a threat to peace, stability, and development in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Although efforts to counterterrorist have been heightened, terrorism continues to thrive. Counter-terrorism measures in most African states have been rendered ineffective due to poor security and intelligence planning, porous borders, and weak armies to name but a few. As a result, resource pooling through collective counter-terrorism initiatives has been mooted as an alternative. The African Commission on Human and People’s Rights has laid down principles and guidelines on the conduct of counter-terrorism, while the African Union has provided the political framework and instruments to combat terrorism. Yet, it has been noted that counter-terrorism studies have heavily relied on the security perspective and undermined the political economy drivers of terrorism and counter-terrorism particularly in SSA. Hence, the political economy analysis employed here seeks to foster an understanding on why collective counter-terrorism initiatives do or do not respect fundamental human rights. A consideration of the interaction between actors, their respective interests, the institutions through which they undertake counter-terrorism projects, and the interplay of power relations lends credence to how counter-terrorism projects are conducted. The study examines the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights principles and guidelines and the African Union collective counter-terrorism initiatives with the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) as a case study.
References
Abidin S (2016) International organisations. In: McGlinchey S (ed) International relations. E-International Relations Publishing. https://iris.luiss.it/retrieve/handle/11385/171242/46436/2016%20E-IR-GloCivSoc.pdf. Accessed 11 Apr 2018
Adibe J (2014) Explaining the emergence of Boko Haram. https://www.brookings.edu/blog/africa-in-focus/2014/05/06/explaining-the-emergence-of-boko-haram/. Accessed 4 Apr 2018
African Commission of Human Rights and Peoples’ Rights (2005) 88: Resolution on the Protection of Human Rights and the rule of law in the fight against Terrorism.’ Meeting at its 37th Ordinary Session held in from 21st November to 5th December 2005, Banjul, The Gambia. http://www.achpr.org/sessions/38th/resolutions/88/. Accessed 30 Mar 2018
African Commission of Human Rights and Peoples’ Rights (2015) Report of the panel discussion on counter-terrorism and human rights compliant policing: challenges and prospects. http://www.achpr.org/news/2015/12/d204/. Accessed 30 Mar 2018
African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (2016) Principles and guidelines on human and people’s rights while countering terrorism. available at: http://www.achpr.org/files/special-mechanisms/human-rightsdefenders/principles_and_guidelines_on_human_and_peoples_rights_while_countering_terrorism_in_africa.pdf (Accessed 30 March 2018)
African Commission of Human Rights and Peoples’ Rights (2018) State reporting. http://www.achpr.org/states/. Accessed 11 Apr 2018
African Union (2002) Plan of Action of the African Union High-Level Inter-Governmental Meeting on the Prevention and Combating of Terrorism in Africa. http://www.peaceau.org/uploads/au-anti-terrorism-plan-of-action.pdf
African Union (2015) Key findings and recommendations of the investigation on Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (SEA) in AMISOM by an independent investigation team. http://www.peaceau.org/uploads/auc.com.investigation.sea.amisom.21.04.2015.pdf. Accessed 11 Apr 2018
African Union (2018) AMISOM background. http://amisom-au.org/amisom-background/
Afua H (2014) Kenya’s Somalis fear violent backlash in the wake of Westgate terror attack. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/26/kenya-somalis-fear-westgate-backlash. Accessed 31 Mar 2018
Agara T (2015) Gendering terrorism: women, gender, terrorism and suicide bombers. Int J Humanit Soc Sci 5(6):115–125
Al Jazeera (2016) Somalia: the forgotten story. https://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/aljazeeraworld/2016/10/somalia-forgotten-story-161027115655140.html
AMISOM (2015) Statement by the African Union Special Representative for Somalia and Head of AMISOM addressing the 31st July 2015 incident in Marka, Lower Shabelle Region of Somalia. http://amisom-au.org/2015/08/statement-by-the-african-union-special-representative-for-somalia-and-head-of-amisom-addressing-the-31st-july-2015-incident-in-marka-lower-shabelle-region-of-somalia/. Accessed 4 Apr 2018
Amnesty International (2016) Nowhere to Go; Forced Return of Somali Refugees from Dadaab Refugee camp. Amnesty International Report. https://www.amnestyusa.org/files/dadaab_report_final_14_november_2016.pdf. Accessed 30 Mar 2018
Baker D-P (2007) The AU Standby Force and the challenge of Somalia. Africa Security review 16(2):120–123
Central Intelligence Agency (2018) The World Factbook: Somalia. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/so.html
Council on Foreign Relations (2018) Al-Shabab in Somalia. https://www.cfr.org/interactives/global-conflict-tracker#!/conflict/al-shabab-in-somalia
Dearden L (2018) The UK blocked from making alleged extremists stateless by secret court in ruling that will set precedent. The independent available at https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/british-citizenshipremoval-isis-terrorists-extremists-stateless-illegal-blocked-court-bangladesh-a8645241.html (accessed 30/11/2018)
Frieden JA, Lake DA (1991) International politics and international economics. In: Frieden JA, Lake DA (eds) International political economy: perspectives on global power and wealth, 2nd edn. St Martin’s Press, New York
Gettleman J (2017) Kenyan court blocks plans to close Daab Refugee Camp. New York Times. available at https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/09/world/africa/kenyan-court-blocks-plan-to-close-dadaab-refugee-camp.html (accessed 23 March 2018)
Hansen SJ (2013) Al-Shabaab in Somalia: the history and ideology of a Militant Islamist Group. Oxford University Press, New York
Hayden M (2017) Muslims ‘absolutely’ the group most victimized by global terrorism, researchers say. ABC News. http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/muslims-absolutely-group-victimized-global-terrorism-researchers/story?id=48131273. Accessed 30 May 2018
Human Rights Council (2015) Report on the Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in Somalia, Bahame Tom Nyanduga. https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/A-HRC-30-57_en.pdf. Accessed 4 Apr 2018
Human Rights Watch (2013) You are all terrorists; Kenyan Police abuse of refugees in Nairobi. Human Rights Watch Report. https://www.hrw.org/report/2013/05/29/you-are-all-terrorists/kenyan-police-abuse-refugees-nairobi. Accessed 30 Mar 2018
Human Rights Watch (2014) The power these men have over Us: sexual exploitation and abuse by African Union Forces in Somalia. https://www.hrw.org/report/2014/09/08/power-these-men-have-over-us/sexual-exploitation-and-abuse-african-union-forces. Accessed 4 Apr 2018
Kron J (2010) Somali refugees fear loss of Uganda Haven. New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/22/world/africa/22uganda.html. Accessed 30 May 2018
Madeira F (2016) Somalia: on the path to peace and stability. http://amisom-au.org/2016/07/somalia-on-the-path-to-peace-and-stability/
McCormack WW (2014) US Judicial Independence: Victims in the War on Terror. Walsh & Lee L. Rev. 71 p.305
Menkhaus K, Boucek C (2010) Terrorism out of Somalia. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. http://carnegieendowment.org/publications/index/cfm?fa=view&id=41612
Mekanhaus K, College D (2009) Violent Islamic Extremism: Al-Shabaab Recruitment in America. Hearing before the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs United States Senate. https://www.hsgac.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/031109Menkhaus031109.pdf
O’Brien R, Williams M (2016) Global political economy: evolution and dynamics. Palgrave Macmillan, New York
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (2008) Human rights, terrorism and counter-terrorism. http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Publications/Factsheet32EN.pdf
Pilkington E (2014) US responds to Guantanamo Bay and NSA criticism made by the UN Committee. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/mar/14/us-guantanamo-bay-nsa-un-committee. Accessed 11 Apr 2018
Sanderson M, Barber M, Russakis M (2015) Key elements of counter terrorism challenge in Alterman JB, Religious radicalism after the Arab uprisings. Rowman & Littlefield, Washington, DC
Smith D (2014) Human Rights Watch investigation uncovers evidence of sexual exploitation of women, dismissed by AU as isolated cases. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/sep/08/african-union-somalia-rapes-human-rights-watch. Accessed 11 Apr 2018
Sunderhaus S (2014) Somalia. https://cpb-us-west-2-juc1ugur1qwqqqo4.stackpathdns.com/u.osu.edu/dist/9/1401/files/2014/03/Somalia-1hhvwga.pdf
United Nations (2018) Human rights. http://www.un.org/en/sections/issues-depth/human-rights/
United Nations (n.d.) Brief introduction to UN peacekeeping. http://www.un.org/en/peacekeeping/documents/civilhandbook/Chapter1.pdf
Warner J, Matfess H (2017) Exploding stereotypes: the unexpected operational and demographic characteristics of Boko Haram Suicide Bomber. Combating Terrorism Center at West Point. https://ctc.usma.edu/app/uploads/2017/08/Exploding-Stereotypes-1.pdf. Accessed 30 Mar 2018
Weingast BR, Wittman D (eds) (2008) The Oxford handbook of political economy. Oxford University Press, Oxford
Weissbrodt D, Bergquist A (2006) Extraordinary rendition: a human rights analysis. Harv Hum Rights J 19:123. http://scholarship.law.umn.edu/faculty_articles/245. Accessed 11 Apr 2018
Williams PD (2009) Into the Mogadishu maelstrom: the African Union mission in Somalia. Int Peacekeeping 16(4):514–530. https://doi.org/10.1080/13533310903184713
Williams PD (2016) AMISOM under review. RUSI J 161(1):40–49. https://doi.org/10.1080/03071847.2016.1152120
Wise R (2011) Al Shabaab. Center for Strategic and International Studies. http://www.operationspaix.net/DATA/DOCUMENT/4039~v~Al_Shabaab.pdf
Yim RA (2004) Combating terrorism: evaluation of selected characteristics in national strategies related to terrorism. United States General Accounting Office, Washington, DC
Zenn J, Pearson E (2014) Women, gender and the evolving tactics of Boko Haram. J Terror Res 5(1):46–57
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2019 Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.
About this entry
Cite this entry
Sempijja, N., Eyita-Okon, E. (2019). Counter-Terrorism Resolutions and Initiatives by Regional Institutions: African Union and African Commission on Human and People’s Rights. In: Shor, E., Hoadley, S. (eds) International Human Rights and Counter-Terrorism. International Human Rights. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-3894-5_6-1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-3894-5_6-1
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore
Print ISBN: 978-981-10-3894-5
Online ISBN: 978-981-10-3894-5
eBook Packages: Springer Reference Law and CriminologyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences