East Africa: Timely Call for Combined Effort Towards Horn Peace, Security

A surge in terrorist officialdoms and extreme organizations needs to be aborted and buried for good if Africa in particular and the entire globe in general would love to create serene circle, but the question is How?

Terrorism in the Horn of Africa region is obviously not limited to political activities but also conducts illicit trade, which is seriously affecting the economic activities of countries in the region and their quest for peaceful development.

Needless to state, any country or government does have the responsibility to protect the security of that country, its territory and comprehensive wellbeing via strengthening international, regional, continental and even international cooperation and partnership in the fight against terrorism. Yes, such a bold move is quite important to attain all what is nationally desired.

Countries in the African continent and Horn of Africa, with a particular emphasis, should intensify their collaboration in order to prevent and control threats of terrorism and cross-border crimes which have been growing in the region.

Horn of African, due to its tactical importance, has become an epicenter of struggle for the global geopolitical actors. Following the growing interest of the superpowers in the Horn, the spot may become the area, which has been accommodating conflict of interest. Of course, nowadays, cyber terrorism, which is mostly characterized by a politically motivated attack, has been posing a great danger and fear on the general public in the region.

Unless all nations of the Horn and/or member states in the region, individually or collectively, are determined to cessation any conflicts or attempts of destabilization from further aggravation, the region has evidently been a safe haven for terrorists. Undeniably, the prevalence of lawlessness and destabilization in Somalia some decades in the past created safe haven for terrorist groups, which posed danger on neighboring countries, including Ethiopia. Several terrorist attacks have been carried out in the region.

For instance, terrorist group known as Al-Shabaab, whose base is Somalia, carried out terrorist attacks in Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia, Tanzania and other countries in the region.

It is quite obvious that the attack of the terrorist group was fully repulsed by the Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF), which caused huge and humiliating defeat to the terrorist group.

Basically, terrorist forces in the Horn of Africa operate on national and regional context. For instance Al-Shabaab and Al Qaida formed an alliance to operate not only in Somalia but also in the entire sub-region. Africa Al-Shabaab in particular used sea piracy, arms trafficking and contraband to finance and advance various missions of terrorism.

Terrorist forces definitely conduct criminal activities, such as drug trafficking, smuggling, human trafficking, corruption and others, with the intention of producing large amounts of profits for their individual leaders and the groups through money laundering.

In view of multifaceted threats of terrorism, regional and international cooperation is very necessary to roll back the threats of terrorism in the region. Any political instability and conflicts wherever they occur in the region should be resolved with ingenious wisdom and peaceful means.

Unequivocally, bringing together regional and international concerned bodies to durable peace and stability is critical, and cooperation should be firm with sustained international support and all means possible.

Somalia’s is destabilized is not limited to itself as a number of repercussions would spread to other parts of the continent and give hard time. Even the conflict might have the potential for being used as a stepping stone to expand into the rest of Africa. That is why Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, has now and then urged parties and warring elements in the Horn of Africa parties to resolve their problem on round table discussion to avoid any level of intrusion into their internal affairs.

Even scholars are recurrently forwarding constructive suggestions to help Horn peace boom. For instance, an international relations, diplomacy and security analyst, Edgar Githua (PhD) underscored that neighboring countries in the Horn of Africa need to grant Ethiopia maritime access in the spirit of Pan-Africanism and regional cooperation.

Edgar Githua (PhD), who is also a lecturer of international relations and diplomacy at Strathmore University in Nairobi, Kenya, provided an insightful analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of militarization in the Horn of Africa and the increasing number of sea ports in the region.

Ethiopia, the world’s largest landlocked country and a member state of the Horn of Africa, lacks direct access to the sea. Edgar Githua (PhD) advocated for neighboring countries in the Horn of Africa to grant Ethiopia maritime access in the spirit of Pan-Africanism, regional cooperation as well as it helps expand effective fight against terrorism.

Ethiopia can now be considered the best example in Africa on how to resolve devastating conflicts in a manner that is of crucial importance for the country as well as the peace and stability in the Horn of Africa. The effective implementation of the African Union (AU)-led Permanent Cessation of Hostilities signed between the Federal Government and the TPLF is a living proof in this regard.

Therefore, the international community, African Union (AU), and neighboring states have played essential roles in bringing stability particularly, to fight against terrorism in the Horn of Africa. Ethiopia, as one of the important East African nations in promoting peace, has played a major role in the multi-faceted fight against Al-Shabaab in the region.

True, a number of terrorist groups have spread their networks in different countries of the region to carry out their criminal activities. These groups have been making a relentless efforts to support each other in terms of finances, recruitment of human resources, training and materials with a view to expand their destructive conspiracy. Hence, countries in the region have to intensify their collaboration in order to prevent and control threats of terrorism and cross border crimes.

Regional cooperation and intelligence sharing are, unambiguously in 2025 and beyond, key strategies for combating terrorism in the Horn of Africa, with Ethiopia playing a leading role. Additionally, strengthening border controls, addressing the root causes of extremism, and providing support to those formerly associated with terrorist groups are crucial. One of the key strategies and initiatives that can potentially consolidate regional cooperation against terrorism and other irregulars is regional collaboration. Indeed, countries in the Horn of Africa, including Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, and Djibouti, are urged to intensify their collaboration to prevent and control terrorism and cross-border crimes.

Here, enhanced intelligence sharing between security agencies is also vital for identifying and disrupting terrorist networks thereby creating stable nations and calm region. As far as border security is concerned, strengthening border controls and improving border management are essential to prevent the movement of terrorist groups and their resources.