The seven “most dangerous” countries in Africa
At the beginning of 2021, some African countries’ security situation worsens in a health context (Covid) coupled with electoral tensions. According to the interview with Sputnik, Malick Niasse, associate researcher at the CEDPE, a specialist in security and conflict management, lists “the most dangerous countries” and explains why Africa must stop “waiting”.
Several African regions are looking for durable solutions to bring about peace, but new contexts are adding to slow down this process and make several countries on the African continent unsafe in security terms. The most dangerous countries in Africa are listed by specialist researchers associated with the CEDPE (Сentre of Studies for Development and Prevention of Extremism).
“The security situation in some regions is chaotic and marked by many tensions that persist, especially in the West and Central African sub-region. We note the predominance of violent extremism, clashes between farmers and pastoralists, and above all inter-community tensions in the Lake Chad area, on the Central African side, and in South Sudan.”
In addition to this context of instability, there have been popular protests linked to the electoral or post-electoral climate, attacks by armed rebel groups almost everywhere in Central Africa, but also power reversals, raids by terrorist groups in the Sahel, drug and human trafficking, says Malick Niasse.
The seven “most dangerous” countries
In recent years, we have seen the spread of insecurity to countries in crisis, Malick Niasse alludes to those who are close to the nations making up the G5 Sahel, the organization set up since 2014 to support cooperation in economic matters and security in the Sahel and face the humanitarian and security challenge.
It is a synergy in the efforts to find lasting solutions to the various security and humanitarian challenges, estimates the researcher.
“All these facts are part of the violent extremism that spreads over the territories of West, Central, and East Africa, which means that these countries are considered to be ‘dangerous’ countries because ‘there is no security in these areas.”
These are:
- South Sudan
- Somalia
- Libya
- Mali
- Chad
- Nigeria
- The Central African Republic
The above countries can be classified as the “most dangerous” countries from a security point of view
Current crisis risks
It is obvious that Africa is less affected by the pandemic, but some countries are counting their deaths, such as Senegal, where the number of deaths and infection cases are increasing day by day. Malick Niasse explains why Covid-19 has not done much harm on the continent demographically but has mainly economic consequences.
“The Covid has turned daily activities upside down and threatened the livelihoods of the people who make a living from these activities – the overnight entrepreneurs, the vulnerable, the unemployed. The consequences of the pandemic are multidimensional for populations and states in economic, health, security, and social terms. The current crisis risks increasing the number of poor people.”
Africa waiting for vaccines
Today, countries are starting to envision “a new world after Covid-19”. According to Malick Niasse, the world will be marked by “conjecture and changes on all levels, and the countries of Europe and the United States have understood this today”.
“If Africa doesn’t learn from social, economic, and health changes, it is in danger of going to its knees. While other countries are looking for vaccines, Africa is waiting for this to be offered and to be pulled out of the abyss. Africa today must take its destiny into its own hands and be able to fly on its own wings”.
