Self-Defense Militias in Africa… Map of Deployment, Their Motives, and Potential Dangers

Abstract:
 The spread of self-defence militias in Africa in recent years clearly reveals the declining role of state and its ongoing crisis for decades at all levels specially the security level, considering that the rise of these militias’ role has become seen as one of the most prominent major developments in the current African scene. Although it is not a new phenomenon in the continent, it is linked to counter-terrorism activity and organizational movements in some African regions such as East and West Africa, including the Sahel and Sahara region.
 These militias represent an increasing threat to the African arena, as they may find an opportunity to take advantage of the reality of the African state by imposing its own system of government in areas under its control, which means establishing a parallel entity that disputes the state’s authority, leading to engaging in a new cycle of armed confrontations and fighting, that affects the stability and security of these countries negatively.
 These militias may also turn into local rebellions fuelled by social injustice, economic issues, and the desire to seize part of the wealth and resources, as they possess weapons provided to them by the African governments, which may result in an internal armed conflicts.