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A6 WORLD NEWS
Wednesday 8 February 2023
Sub-Saharan Africa is ‘new epicenter’ of extremism, says U.N.

By EVELYNE MUSAMBI become the new global
Associated Press epicenter of violent ex-
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — The tremism with 48% of global
new global epicenter of terrorism deaths in 2021,”
violent Islamic extremism is UNDP administrator Achim
sub-Saharan Africa where Steiner said in a press brief-
people are increasingly ing ahead of the report’s
joining because of eco- launch. This surge in ex-
nomic factors and less for tremism in Africa “not only
religious ones, says a new adversely impacts lives, se-
report by the U.N.’s interna- curity, and peace, but also
tional development agen- threatens to reverse hard-
cy. A significant increase won development gains
of 92% of new recruits to for generations to come,”
extremist groups are joining he said. Military campaigns
for better livelihoods com- to stamp out extremism are
pared to the motivations not proving to be success-
of those interviewed in a ful, said Steiner.
previous report released “Security-driven counter-
in 2017, according to the terrorism responses are of-
UNDP report released on ten costly and minimally ef-
Tuesday. fective, yet investments in
Many Africans’ lives have preventive approaches to
been badly affected by Shoes of the kidnapped students from Government Science Secondary School are seen inside violent extremism are woe-
the COVID-19 pandemic, their class room Kankara, Nigeria, Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2020. Associated Press fully inadequate,” he said.
high inflation, and climate “The social contract be-
change, said the report. Somalia, and Sudan. More ed in the continent with So- drawn from various extrem- tween states and citizens
There has been a 57% de- than 1,000 interviewees are malia accounting for the ist groups across the conti- must be reinvigorated to
crease in the number of former members of violent largest number of fatalities. nent including Boko Haram tackle root causes of vio-
people joining extremist extremist groups, both vol- The Somali government is in Nigeria, al-Shabab in So- lent extremism.”
groups for religious reasons, untary and forced recruits, currently carrying out what malia, which pledges alle- About 71% of those who
it said. said the report. has been described as the giance to al-Qaida, and in joined extremist groups
Nearly 2,200 people were At least 4,155 attacks most significant offensive West Africa Jama’at Nusrat were influenced by human
interviewed for the report across Africa were docu- against the al-Shabab ex- al-Islam wal Muslimeen, or rights abuses by state se-
in eight African countries: mented since in 2017, said tremist group in more than JNIM, which is allied to the curity forces, such as the
Burkina Faso, Cameroon, the report. In these attacks, a decade. Islamic State group. killings or arrests of family
Chad, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, 18,417 deaths were record- Those interviewed were “Sub-Saharan Africa has members, said the report.q

U.K. leader Sunak shakes up govt to focus on business, energy

By JILL LAWLESS dals and sniping from Con- prime minister in less than a office when her tax-cutting partment for Business and
Associated Press servative Party colleagues. year. economic plans sparked Trade. Former Business Sec-
LONDON (AP) — British Sunak appointed lawmak- Hands, a former trade mayhem on the financial retary Grant Shapps be-
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak er Greg Hands to chair the minister who has served markets. comes Secretary of State
shook up his government governing party, which in Parliament since 2005, But he faces opposition for Energy Security and Net
on Tuesday, moving minis- is demoralized by dismal replaces Nadhim Zahawi, allegations that the gov- Zero.
ters and merging depart- opinion poll ratings and who was fired by Sunak last ernment remains mired in The government said the
ments in a bid to assert a year of turmoil. Sunak is month after failing to come scandal and sleaze. Ethics new energy department
control amid ethics scan- Britain’s third Conservative clean about a multimillion- inquiries are also underway “has been tasked with se-
dollar tax dispute. over claims Johnson se- curing our long-term en-
As deputy party chair, Su- cured a loan with the help ergy supply, bringing down
nak installed Lee Anderson, of a Conservative donor bills and halving inflation”
an ex-coal miner turned who was later appointed after the cost-of-living crsis
combative legislator from chairman of the BBC, and unleashed by Russia’s inva-
the right wing of the Con- into allegations that Dep- sion of Ukraine.
servative Party who once uty Prime Minister Dominic “I think we’ve seen over the
said people use food banks Raab bullied staff. Raab last year in particular the im-
because “they cannot denies bullying. pact that happens to peo-
cook properly” or make a Sunak also rearranged the ple’s bills at home when
budget. ministries responsible for energy policy doesn’t work
Sunak has vowed to re- business, energy, science properly, when we’re reli-
store order and integrity and trade as part of his aim ant on imported energy
to government after three to boost the country’s slug- from hostile countries,” Su-
years of instability under gish economy and make nak told reporters.
predecessors Boris Johnson the U.K. a science and “That’s why the creation to-

Britain’s Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, center left, and newly brought down in summer technology superpower. day of a new department
appointed Energy Security and Net Zero Secretary Grant 2022 by ethics scandals Kemi Badenoch, formerly focused specifically on en-
Shapps, centre right, are given a tour of the District Energy
Centre in central London, Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023. and Liz Truss, who quit in in charge of international ergy security and net zero is
Associated Press October after six weeks in trade, heads a new De- so important.”q