Africa: The Hidden Engineering of Conflict

It has become increasingly clear that Africa is emerging as the next arena of escalation and a central battlefield for influence among major global powers — led internationally by the United States, Russia, China, and France, and regionally by Turkey and Israel.

Over recent years, the “justifications” for intervention have been systematically constructed — chief among them the expansion of terrorism, the fight against so-called jihadist groups, and the protection of “vital interests.”

Terrorism in Africa has become the dominant headline inflated and amplified to occupy global media attention, serving as a gateway and rationale for foreign interventions whose true objectives are largely political and economic — another chapter in the ongoing power struggle among major states over the resource-rich “black continent.”

Manufacturing the Terror Narrative

One of the latest episodes attributed to jihadist organizations — falsely associated with Islam — occurred days ago when a group reportedly aligned with al-Qaeda, calling itself “Support of Islam and Muslims,” abducted three Egyptian citizens in Mali and demanded a $5 million ransom.

The irony is striking: the kidnappers are Muslim, the victims are Muslim, and the ultimate casualty is Islam itself — as a faith, a message, and a way of life. The group’s actions contradict even the meaning of its own name, raising a fundamental question: who truly benefits from such operations?

The construction of Africa’s “terrorism file” was not spontaneous. It has been developed institutionally over years to cement the narrative that the continent has become a global epicenter of terrorism.

The Global Terrorism Index has reinforced this framing by asserting that the center of gravity of terrorism has shifted from the Middle East to Africa, now accounting for more than half of global terrorism-related deaths.

Preparing the Ground for Intervention

Objectively, it is worth asking whether there is deliberate media exaggeration of extremist threats in Africa aimed at conditioning global public opinion to accept future interventions — and possibly new wars.

Memories remain vivid of the global media campaign after September 11, 2001, which was used to justify military interventions across multiple countries.

Is there hidden Western and Eastern logistical or intelligence support — or indirect guidance — fueling certain extremist groups to manufacture “pretexts on the ground” that later legitimize major power intervention under the banner of restoring stability?

Is the real goal global security — or geopolitical interest, and the continued distortion of Islam’s image that has persisted for more than two decades?

The Great Power Scramble for Africa

The competition among international and regional powers to fill Africa’s security vacuum and secure strategic interests under the slogan of counterterrorism is no longer concealed.

Washington, Moscow, Beijing, Paris, Ankara, Tel Aviv — and even Tehran — are all racing to claim a share of Africa’s exposed geopolitical body, each according to its own calculations.

All signs indicate that Africa will become the next major conflict theater for these powers — cloaked in the language of stability and counterterrorism, but driven by the reshaping of global corridors, alliances, and resource control.

In this process, African states and societies will become the second victims of these rivalries — forced to pay the price of international intelligence games through the ignition of internal conflicts and manufactured terrorist chaos that legitimizes foreign intervention.

Extremist Groups as Strategic Tools

As long as poverty, ignorance, repression, and grievances persist, extremist organizations will remain — unless divine intervention decrees otherwise — strategic tools that can be reactivated whenever needed.

Whether through infiltration or exploitation of the good intentions of some members, these groups function as poisoned daggers used by major powers to stab Islam, nations, and societies — reproducing domination in new forms.

Why Africa Matters to Global Powers

Africa’s strategic importance to competing powers — especially the US, China, Russia, and Europe — stems from several factors:

First, African countries constitute nearly a quarter of the voting bloc within the United Nations and many international organizations, making diplomatic influence over them a valuable geopolitical asset.

Second is the continent’s unparalleled natural resources.

Third is Africa’s geostrategic position as a natural bridge between Europe, the Atlantic, the Indian Ocean, and the Pacific — and as a southern gateway to Europe, particularly within China’s Belt and Road Initiative.