Trends In The Spread Of Radical Islam In Africa

Abstract

The article analyzes the influence of radical Islam and terrorist organizations on security in Africa. As a subject of research we chose tendencies of the spread of radical Islam in one of the Central African countries – the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The issues of increasing Muslim religious buildings in the eastern part of the country, the influence of Muslim communities from other African and Arab countries on the situation in the region are considered. The article focuses on the problem of the penetration of ideas of radical Islam into the country. The aim of the study is to identify causes and consequences of the spread of radical Islam in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The situation in the most vulnerable and jihadist-affected areas of the DRC is analyzed. An assessment and forecast of the development of the situation in DR Congo in connection with the spread of Islam are given and ways to prevent the negative development of the scenario are proposed. The authors concluded that a large length of borders with border states, geological and climatic features (mountainous terrain, a multi-tiered equatorial forest, rainy seasons), coupled with the lack of roads and road infrastructure, makes the border security system ineffective and serve as an open “window” not only for transnational crime, but also for Islamic fundamentalists. Based on analyzed realities, ideas of radicals will be distributed in the coming years. This, in turn, will exacerbate the already complex military-political situation and lead to armed conflicts.