The Punch

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Nigeria ranks 19th among countries prone to terrorist attacks - Survey

WAHEED BAKARE

Activities of the militant sect, Boko Haram, have worsened the rating of Nigeria among countries prone to terrorist attacks, WAHEED BAKARE writes


Militants

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Nigeria is the 19th 'most at risk' country from terrorist attack, a survey released on Wednesday by UK-based global analysts, Maplecroft, has shown.

With this ranking, the country is now among countries that are at "extreme risk" from terrorist attacks. Nigeria's current status, according to Maplecroft, is attributed mainly to the uprising by the militant sect, Boko Haram, in the north.

Boko Haram, which means "western education is sinful," has claimed responsibility for months of attacks in and around Maiduguri, the Borno State capital. The dreaded sect has attached police stations, churches, and outdoor bars. The most daring attack it carried out, which, many analysts believed was targeted at the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Hafiz Ringim, was at the police headquarters in Abuja on June 16, 2011.

More than 250 people have been killed by Boko Haram since July 2010, according to human rights groups.

While the Boko Haram uprising was a major factor in Nigeria's ranking, the activities of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta was also a contributory factor.

MEND carried out car bombings that killed 12 people in Abuja on October 1, 2010 during Nigeria's 50th independence anniversary. Apart from the Abuja bombings, the group had also carried out a series of attacks in the South-South region.

But the report indicates that Somalia remains the 'most at risk' country from terrorist attack, followed by Pakistan, Iraq, Afghanistan and the new nation of South Sudan. Somalia has, for some time, occupied the most prone country to terrorisms, a situation many analysts have attributed to lack of a legitimate government in the country for decades.

Apart from Nigeria, Yemen, Iran, Uganda, Libya and Egypt are also experiencing increasing threats. Maplecroft attributed the increasing threats in Yemen and Uganda to al-Qaeda-associated violence, while those in Iran were as a result of attacks by Sunni Muslim rebel group, Jundollah. As for Egypt and Libya, theirs originated from terrorist and criminal attempts to exploit the revolution rocking the Arab world.

The top four most at risk countries remain unchanged from the previous ranking carried out by Maplecroft in November 2010. However, South Sudan, the newest independent country in the world, replaced the Palestinian territories at number five. This, according to analysts, is due to the high average number of people killed per attack in the country that seceded from North Sudan last month.

Apart from the top five, Yemen is number six; Palestinian Territories, seven; Democratic Republic of Congo, eight; Central African Republic, nine; Colombia, 10; Algeria, 11; Thailand, 12; Philippines, 13; Russia, 14; Sudan, 15; Iran, 16; Burundi, 17; India, 18; Nigeria, 19; and Israel, 20.

Although Maplecroft acknowledged that the militant, al-Shabaab, suffered some losses in Mogadishu, the group continued to hold much of South and central Somalia and "launch some of the most devastating attacks in the capital," in its fight against a Western-backed interim government.

It added that South Sudan got its rating "primarily due to the intensity of terrorist attacks, with an average of 6.59 fatalities per terrorist incident, almost three times that of Somalia at 2.23.''

No fewer than seven rebel militias are fighting the new government's forces, which are trying to establish stability after separating from the north as part of the peace deal reached in 2005, ending decades of civil war with Khartoum.

Maplecroft's index rated 198 countries on the number, frequency and intensity of terrorism attacks, plus the likelihood of mass casualties occurring, while based on historical data, "it is intended as a forward-looking assessment."

The survey's reporting period of April 2010 to March 2011 partly overlaps with the June 2009 to June 2010 data used in its previous ranking. On South Sudan, it stated that in spite of its elevated risk ranking, the 211 death toll recorded from terrorist attacks was minimal compared to the top four countries.

Over the same period, Somalia suffered 1,385 deaths, Pakistan, 2,163 deaths; Iraq, 3,456 deaths; and Afghanistan, 3,423 deaths, which together account for more than 75 per cent of the world's 13,492 fatalities.

The survey observed that there was an increased risk from regional offshoots of al Qaeda, including al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, adding that a spate of revenge attacks by militants in Pakistan following the killing of al-Qaeda leader, Osama bin Laden, in May, showed that the once most wanted man's death had not reduced militancy.

On Iran, it stated that the country continued to experience a small but lethal number of mass-casualty attacks, including a twin suicide bombing in Zahedan in July 2010, which resulted in the death of at least 28 people.

One of the largest changes in rankings was Uganda, which jumped 20 places to 22, following bombings in Kampala in July 2011 that killed 79 people. The shift was attributed to al-Shabaab and was the militant group's first strikes on foreign soil. The only Western European country seen at high risk was Greece, assessed at 27, down from 24, due to violent left-wing groups. This is followed by Britain, rated at 38, up from 46, while France was at 45, barely changed from 44.

The survey period does not cover an attack in Norway by anti-Muslim zealot and mass killer, Anders Behring Breivik, who killed 77 people in Oslo and Utoeya Island on July 22, 2010. After the attack, some analysts argued that terrorism monitoring had focused more on threat of violence from Muslim groups, ignoring the danger posed by far right westerners.

The survey rated Norway at a lowly 112. However, some are of the view that the singular experience of July 22 will increase the level of risk of Norway when next a similar survey is carried out.

Maplecroft's Global Risks Portfolio and services "combine rigorous research with technological innovation to offer risk screens, monitoring tools and invaluable insights into the most challenging political, economic, social and environmental risks and responsibilities facing global business today."

It defines terrorism as "the calculated and purposeful use of violence to influence the attitudes and behaviour of people and governments, and takes its raw data from the US National Counter-terrorism Centre's Worldwide Incidents Tracking System." http://odili.net/news/source/2011/aug/9/824.html

Dis is just great news for our developing economy dat needs much investors. Great news boko haram, u really care about people.