The Sahel is a real threat to Spain

The Spanish government plans to increase the number of EUTM MALI troops operating in the region by more than 50% from 2013, in order to intensify the presence of Spanish troops who train the Malian Armed Forces in values and train their security forces in contributing to the defence of the territory, according to Jesús Díez Alcalde, colonel-head of the Analysis Unit of the Department of National Security, during the inauguration of the 8th Elcano Forum on Global Terrorism, in collaboration with the United States Embassy, which is being held these days in the Spanish capital.  

On the evolution of the Jihadist insurgency in the Sahel and without minimising the repercussions of such a Machiavellian ideology that is harmful to Muslims, Colonel Díez Alcalde wished to stress the huge international effort to combat this diffuse threat directly in a complex scenario, "a mission with the highest death toll verified by the United Nations but one that encourages development and governance in the region" and provides its military with military training and advice on chain of command, logistics and human resource management, as well as training in international humanitarian law. "We can all do more, but those of us who are, are doing well, although we should be more on the ground, in the front line," stressed Díez Alcalde in view of the need to look for more mundane reasons such as social frustration, a great concern for young Africans today, who demand prosperity in the area and the freedom that only their own governments can provide. "We need time and patience and to encourage research into the cause of this latent threat to Spain, without ignoring the fight against the financing of the illegal trafficking of human beings, arms and drugs", stressed the Colonel of the Presidency of the Government, Díez Alcalde.

During his speech on terrorist strategy and propaganda together with members of the State Department's Intelligence Department, Diez Alcalde acknowledged that Spain is a firm defender of helping local and regional governments to solve problems, "EUTM Mali is made up of some 700 military personnel from 28 European countries and we provide more than 27% of the EU's forces in all its missions, although we know that the military solution is the necessary one but not the definitive one, because we need something more". He also stressed that the challenge of going to a better school or being socially recognised is very important at a time when the geographical expansion of this threat and the rise of Jihadist groups in the region is palpable evidence. He also called on the media present to raise collective awareness to help address the problem and not to remember the Sahel when a terrorist attack occurs.

At this same forum, together with the US Embassy, the Secretary of State for Security, Rafael Pérez Ruiz, stated that the conflicts in the Sahel constitute a permanent danger for Spain and for any Western asset, "especially French", and therefore require the best possible security, "a shared threat, side by side, which threatens the democratic model of coexistence".  

A phenomenon that is therefore in constant transition and is capable of changing to new contexts, a threat influenced by the COVID to the detriment of counterterrorism, which has diverted major police efforts to combat the spread of the pandemic but has enabled over 300 military to remain deployed in the area. The Sahel strip (although the centre of the threat is Mali) is very worrying, a real risk, and the latest attacks provide clear evidence of the presence of autonomous terrorists who act against Western interests, where the propaganda impact is the motivating and transmitting element of orders that are spread among groups in power, similar to Daesh and al-Qaeda. 

In this connection, Rafael Pérez Ruiz warned of the existence of a permanent danger: Jihadist-inspired terrorism as the main threat to Spain and the international community as a whole, making it clear that the attacks in Austria and France underline the effectiveness of the strategy of committing attacks anywhere in the world and by any means. It seems that in places where the state has not been replaced, inter-ethnic conflicts are causing greater political and social instability, if possible, and have become consolidated as terrorist targets: kidnapping of civilians and diplomats in the area, murder of religious people (the case of the Salesian priest, Antonio César), security forces and the military detachment of the European mission in Mali.

As for figures from the prison sector, the number of people convicted of terrorist acts has increased considerably, with 32 arrests in 2020 and a total of 58 over the past year, 10 of which were investigated in other countries. 

In Rafael Pérez Ruiz's opinion, and in view of this situation, the most important aspect of the Ministry of the Interior's terrorist strategy is to optimise mechanisms with more resources and capabilities; greater emphasis on prevention against violent radicalisation and the dissemination of content on the Internet; information exchange; surveillance of returnees and the forceful application of firm legal measures.  

For Katherine Zimmerman of the American Enterprise Institute, the international community is facing a threat from Jihadist Salafism that will not go away soon. A threat that has evolved over the past eight years, a resilient one that enjoys great resources and strategic objectives, and the US incursion is therefore motivated by security reasons and its involvement encompasses the counterterrorist axis; in short, "we want to be trainers and reduce recruitment". 

In view of this situation, Matthew Nevins, Analyst of Terrorism in Africa (Bureau of Intelligence and Research, State Department) referred to three novel facets of this phenomenon, given the existence of a regionalisation of the crisis, the acceleration of activity and a sudden dynamic change in which the thresholds of violence are rising and channels of negotiation are being exploited. To conclude his speech, he shared the importance of Burkina Faso for the insurgents in the provinces of Mali. A total of 34 attacks have taken place from 2017 to 2019, and this year more than 60 per month.

Carmen Chamorro García, Director of the CIP/ACPE/ Diploma in International Relations and Global Terrorism by SEI