When you think of terrorist groups that are active in Africa, it’s difficult not to place Boko Haram front and centre.

Ever since they snatched 276 female students in Chibok, Nigeria, back in 2014, the name has become synonymous with pure evil.

It still is, but as of the end of 2016, they’re no longer the deadliest terror group on the continent.

That dishonour belongs to Al Shabaab, with some stats coming via QZ:

Last year, the group killed more people than any other terrorist sect on the continent, including the deadly Boko Haram. Data collected by Africa Center [sic] for Strategic Studies shows Al Shabaab attacks resulted in over 4,00o deaths in 2016.

The Somali terrorist group has become deadly in its operations, relentlessly attacking both civilian and military outposts. In its attempt to topple the weak Somali government, Al Shabaab has specifically carried out deadly attacks in the capital Mogadishu, targeting the presidential palace, the parliament, and supreme court offices. And as the country revives from a two-decade war, the group has staged numerous attacks on hotels, parks, and beachside restaurants—symbols of hope in a country bedeviled by scars of its civil war.

I suppose the ‘good’ news here is the reining in of Boko Haram, with Nigeria’s military making great strides in the war against terror:

[The military has recovered] swathes of territory, rescuing abductees and pushing the sect out of its strongholds. Weakened, Boko Haram has resorted to sporadic suicide bombings rather than its previous preferred mode of attack: raiding and destroying villages. In fact, Boko Haram is no longer Nigeria’s biggest internal security threat…

With a pooling together of resources and intel, it’s hoped that success can be carried over into other African countries:

High-profile attacks like Al Shabaab’s on Nairobi’s Westgate mall and at Garissa University highlighted the inability of local security agents to stamp out and respond effectively to the threats. In West and Central Africa, Benin, Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria have teamed up to curb the treat of Boko Haram with a joint task force, pooling military and financial resources.

The fight against terror isn’t going to be won overnight, if ever, so a long-term strategy that involves such cooperation is the only way forward.

You can read QZ’s full assessment of the continent’s major terror threats over HERE.

[source:qz]