The North African terror scene is not getting any better because it is becoming more attractive to al-Qaeda . At the end of November 2006, al-Qaeda announced a new, ?joint? group formed in North Africa called the ?Union of the Arab Maghreb? (UAM; WAR Report). By linking together terrorist groups from Morocco , Algeria , Tunisia , and Libya , al-Qaeda gathers more jihadists under its belt and ensures that its motives are pursued strongly in unison. Three reasons why North Africa (the Maghreb) is particularly vital to al-Qaeda are:
1. North Africa?s long history of militant Islamism and struggle against Western colonialism,
2. North Africa?s close proximity to Western Europe, and
3. Western Europe?s large number of immigrant communities from North African states
Militant Islamism and Struggle against Western Colonialism
Investing in the Maghreb makes sense for al-Qaeda since the region has had a long history of militant Islamism, along with a history of struggle against Western colonial rulers and their indigenous successors. With such an attractive resume for al-Qaeda, the Maghreb offers a loyal and dedicated clientele. Several top al-Qaeda members (namely, Abu Yahaya al-Libi and Ahmed Ressam) come from the Maghreb, and many individuals from Morocco hold a considerable and disproportionate number of leadership positions in the jihadist network.
Algeria is arguably the most influential and attractive to al-Qaeda. Home of the historical and violent Salafist Group for Call and Combat (GSPC, Group Profile), Algeria has a long history of colonialism from France . Over 50 years later, the bitterness of colonialism is still infested in the hearts of militant Islamists, including in the GSPC. Capitalizing on this hatred, Osama bin Laden legitimized the terror group, as the leader of the UAM and his right-wing man, Ayman al-Zawahiri, announced the group?s merge with al-Qaeda in September 2006 (Terror Web Watch). In that announcement, al-Zawahiri singled out the French as targets for the GSPC, saying ?they will be a thorn is the necks of the French.?
Proximity to Western Europe
The Maghreb?s close proximity with western Europe makes it an ideal logistics and transportation hub and a base from which to carry out strikes in Europe. One of the reasons there have not been any recent attacks in western Europe is the difficulty in carrying out such attacks. If al-Qaeda?s presence were limited to Afghanistan , Pakistan , and Iraq , the threat of attacks to Western Europe would not be so imminent. Al-Qaeda operatives would have to travel across border and port control authorities with their plans and materials.
However, the Maghreb, being conveniently close to western Europe, especially Spain , Italy , and France, gives it the level of appeal and imperativeness to the effective execution of al-Qaeda?s plans.
North African Immigrants in Western Europe
Probably the most important factor in al-Qaeda?s interest in the Maghreb is the number of North African immigrant communities in western Europe. Essentially, this means al-Qaeda members in the Maghreb could radicalize those communities and/or use them for covert support networks for jihadist activities in Europe. This was the case in the 2004 Madrid train bombings and the 2005 London suicide bombing .
The reverse situation is taking place now. Native Maghreb European citizens are traveling to their country of origin to carryout attacks. Earlier this month, two European nationals, a Swede and a German, both of Moroccan decent were arrested for their association and links to the UAM in Morocco. The Swede was a 54-year old businessman, who immigrated to Sweden over 30 years prior. It may be less conspicuous for native North Africans to travel to the Maghreb to ?visit family? than the reverse.
What Can Be Done?
The focus for change must come from within North African countries. Governments keen on supporting the Global War on Terror (GWOT) must crackdown on radical Islam and militant Islamists within their borders. The Moroccan and Algerian governments have demonstrated this by the number of militants they have arrested and/or killed in the past few months, in particular. Since November, Morocco has arrested close to 45 terrorists with ties to al-Qaeda; Algeria has arrested over 19 militants.
North African governments should also beef up their amnesty programs. The Algerian government has offered amnesty to radical Islamists who surrender and have not committed major crimes. In January 2007, six members of the GSPC benefited from the provisions of this program. In March 2006, former leader of the GSPC Hassan Hattab accepted the government?s amnesty, leading 100 additional former members to follow suit.
The fear is that even with these special programs and crackdowns in place, if the government?s economy is not stable or employing the thousands of 18-35-year old males, they could otherwise find profitable work with jihadist groups.
