Regional Profits: The Rise of Hybrid Terrorism in West Africa Post 9/11

All organizations – terrorist ones included – seek financial resources in order to support their members and fund their activities. However, in West Africa, the intersection between criminal activity and terrorism goes beyond a simple marriage of convenience to ensure funds. Focusing on the region, case studies of the financial activities of AQIM, Boko Haram, and Hezbollah demonstrate a criminal involvement that is deeply entrenched in their nature and behavior in West Africa.
The qualitative data presented was collected through the analysis of NGO and governmental unclassified reports, testimonies, and interviews. Findings indicate that, contrary to the traditional belief that criminal and terrorist groups belong at the opposite extremes of a spectrum, these groups gravitate around the center. They are both criminal and political – they represent a hybrid type of organization, one that is a product of regional factors conducive to illicit lucrative businesses.
Determining a hybrid class of terrorist groups, one that is also a product of its theater of operation, possesses many policy implications since the U.S. cannot develop an effective response without understanding the nature of the threat. AFRICOM, established in 2008, was designed to defend American national interests on the continent. However, its focus on training local militaries or implementing health projects does not address the key factors that have enabled Boko Haram, Hezbollah, and AQIM to expand their operations in the region: weak state capacity and poor governance. Instead, the U.S. should focus on strengthening law enforcement training and partnerships within a comprehensive interagency counterterrorism framework.