In a recent video released on social media platforms, unidentified jihadists issued direct threats to the Tanzanian government and Christians indicating the country may soon suffer security risks in the coming days.
A visibly poor video shot at undisclosed located, the jihadists are threatening Tanzanian leadership starting with the President and the Christian community saying that they are the way coming for them.
The video is in ‘Swahili’ dialect. The leader speaking in the video is boasting that they are in the land of Jihad out of they own volition and that they have not been paid anything meaning they could be in Somalia or in the neighboring Mozambique which is another jihadist’s hub for ISIS linked militants.
In 2016, militants linked to the Islamic States released photos in Tanzanian caves brandishing Kalashinkov rifles and the Islamic States flag backed by picture/image evidence validating the presence of Daesh cell (ISIS) in Tanzania.
The latest video is evidence that jihadist have interest to set up shop in Tanzania, a rather docile member of the East African community.
Check the brief Video below in Swahili;
There are a number of ramifications of this emergence of jihadists growing interest to strike in Tanzania.
Analysis
For a number of years, reports of jihadists making inroads in Tanzania have either been ignored or the threat neutralized. There are no available records of counterterrorism operations in Tanzania. Threat multiplication in Tanzania could have dire consequences citing the country’s security forces are not aptly trained and equipped to counter the threat posed by the violent extremists.
Such emerging jihadist’s videos issuing threats should not be taken lightly. Jihadists could be eyeing the East African country that has not recorded significant terror events for years to conduct 1st terror attacks in the country’s key towns to make headlines. The uncertainty about the long term implications of an implosion of violent extremism in Tanzania clearly is worrying.
The video of the armed jihadist issuing threats marks with the clarity that hindsight brings, the new inflection point, that begs the following questions;
- Is Tanzania security capable of countering violent extremism?
- Is the country’s intelligence aware of the risks/threats posed by these jihadist?
- What are the short term and long term implications of militants’ insurgency in Tanzania?
Tanzania is facing multiple threats from jihadists operating in Somalia and Mozambique citing there are a number who are Tanzanian nationals in these jihadists groups who are baying to be deployed to conduct attacks back at their home country to prove their loyalty. The video is a recruitment and ‘presence validation” for both the hundreds of online Tanzanian youths who’ve shown sympathy and willing to join other jihadists fronting attacks against the government of Tanzania.
While East Africa is not a security union, worlds eyes will fall on Tanzanian counterterrorism assets to see how they intend to stop these jihadists from setting up camps in the East African country and the same time what will security officers will do to preempt the threat these terrorists pose.
Finally, it’s highly likely, in the wake of these terror threats and possible events, Tanzania security and intelligence services which have handled very few terror related incidents will turn to Kenya and Uganda for help to prevent Al-Shabaab and ISIS implosion into their country.
“Turn to Kenya and Uganda” is the total underestimation of Tanzania intelligency and military capabilities. That statement alone make me doubt the ability of the author to conduct intensive research before putting things in public.