East African group calls for closer coordination to stave off deadly extremism
Port Sudan, Sudan (PANA) - The threat of violent extremism has been a major obstacle in the Horn and East Africa thus undermining peace and security, a regional agency that specialises in analysing violent extremism and terrorism said in a report realsed on Tuesday.
IGAD Centre of Excellence for Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism (ICEPCVE), said in the report that the second quarter of 2025 recorded a number of attacks in Somalia and at the Kenya- Somalia border in the North Eastern and Coastal regions.
It said 932 twod fatalities and 412 were recorded in the quarter, adding that 85% of all the fatalities were of the militants while 15% comprised the civilians and the security forces. This refers to the region where the militants are known to be active in the IGAD member states.
The report said the majority of the fatalities were militants, which “reflects the intensity of Somali forces and allied counter offensives”.
According to the report civilian deaths were concentrated in urban bombings especially in Mogadishu.
It said that in the quarter under review, Hiiraan and Middle Shabelle were the epicentres of clashes, Mogadishu was characterised by suicide bombings and mortar attacks while Mudug, Jubbaland and Puntland had raids and targeted killings.
The analysis said in Kenya, Mandera County experienced abductions of government officials and IED attacks while in Lamu County, there were ambushes on security patrols in Boni forest at the Kenya-Somalia border.
The report said that the tactics mainly employed to carry out the attacks were small arms and light weapons at 65%, explosives and bombs at 30% and others including assassinations and infrastructural damage at 5%.
According to the analysis the quarter was marked by intense fighting in Somalia and targeted cross-border ambushes in Kenya.
It said that armed assaults using small arms and light weapons dominated the tactics, while suicide bombings and mortar attacks maintained pressure in the urban centers.
The report said al-Shabaab remains the dominant violent extremist actor in Somalia, with persistent cross-border activity into Kenya. Efforts of security forces in Puntland successfully weakened ISIS-Somalia but they are still capable of targeted attacks.
The analysis revealed that the Somali forces in collaboration with the militias (Ma’awisley) launched intensified offensives, inflicting heavy militant casualties but that they need to remain vigilant as the risk of retaliatory attacks remains quite high.
The IGAD center further cautioned that the porous borders remain a major structural challenge that enable easy movement by the violent extremist groups, adding that there is need for IGAD Member States to augment inter-agency and regional coordination in their security efforts to enhance early warning.
The report explained that cross border radicalization, coupled with high youth unemployment, heightens recruitment risks and buttresses the need to continue with community-led cross-border deradicalization and counter-narrative programmes.
-0- PANA MO/MA 26Aug2025
