Terrorist groups such as al-Shabaab and Boko Haram operate and recruit “uneducated” citizens who have military experience in Africa, retired Nigerian Colonel Hassan Stan-Labo has told RT.
Stan-Labo was referring in particular to those lacking a “Western education,” who are unable to find good jobs.
According to the UN, terrorist attacks are on the rise across Africa. Unemployment, poverty, and hunger are among the key contributors to the spread of terrorist groups and the flow of fighters.
Back in May, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni said that 54 soldiers who had been deployed in Somalia as part of an African Union peacekeeping mission were killed in an al-Shabaab attack. According to the president, commanders panicked when some 800 terrorists assaulted the base.
This is believed to have been the bloodiest attack since the Somalian government, supported by the African Union, launched an offensive against al-Shabaab last year.
Meanwhile, Nigerian extremist group Boko Haram killed eight people in Cameroon on Tuesday. Over the last two years, at least 965 soldiers and policemen have been killed by Boko Haram and other terrorist groups in Nigeria.
According to Stan-Labo, terrorist recruitment also has a “religious connotation.” The terrorists convince would-be recruits that those killing unbelievers will be granted a place in heaven, he said.