On 9 August 2010, the Somali Islamic insurgent group, Al Shabaab, publicly accused three humanitarian agencies of proselytising; consequently banning them from any further activities. The groups in question are World Vision, the Adventist Development and Relief Organisation (ADRA) and Diakonia (a joint organisation of five Swedish churches). The move has received widespread condemnation both at home (from Government and civil society), and abroad. A spokesman for the Transitional Federal Government (TFG), Abdi Haji Gobdon, said regarding the ban:"These are agencies that came to help the thousands of people who need their help. This is evidence, if any was needed, of Al Shabaab's disregard for the welfare and wellbeing of the Somali people. They simply don’t care." This discussion paper discusses the context of the ban, as well as the resultant impact on the beneficiaries of these aid agencies.

Terrorism is a devastating trend that our contemporary world has had to grapple with in most recent times. It is both domestic and international and has spread fear into the heart of states - weak and strong alike. On 25 December 2009, Nigeria made news headlines and was thus associated with global terrorism - at least for a time - after a 23-year old Nigerian attempted to blow up a Detroit-bound Delta airliner. The aftermath of this infamous act was the listing of Nigeria on the United States (US) terror watch list as one of 14 countries of special (security) interest. This article examines terrorism in relation to Nigeria, and analyses factors that can encourage terrorist inclinations within the Nigerian state and the options that the state has. In essence, it looks into the meaning of this trend to the Nigerian polity and the individual citizen vis-à-vis the present terrorist situation in the world.

In 2008, xenophobic attacks took place all over South Africa, starting in the town of Alexandria on May 12. Although the country has struggled with xenophobia throughout its history, this event shook both South Africans and the international scene. After the end of apartheid in the 1990s and the new era of a multicultural society living in peaceful coexistence, this type of open conflict based on ethnic belongings, rocked the image of a new South Africa. Some commentators have even gone as far as to claim that ‘South Africans, post-apartheid, have developed an aggressive and chauvinistic nationalism’. The looming threat of xenophobia persists, and reports have been received of foreign nationals being threatened by violence after the soccer world cup in June 2010. Looking at the wave of attacks that took place in 2008 and events of July 2010, it is necessary for the Government to act to avoid similar attacks in the future.

The world is bearing witness to a decline in interstate conflict and a drastic rise in civil wars. Africa is the continent most affected by this. Internal conflict on the continent makes it difficult for states to maintain control over their citizens, trade and capital flows and democratic institutions. As part of the dynamic international community, Africa is viewed as a war-torn continent often at the mercy of external forces. The combination of conflict-ridden week states and the reluctance of the Western governments and international organisations to intercede in this conflict, is leading to a greater reliance on additional forces to provide citizens with necessary services, such as protection, safety and security. This article explores the notion of the private security sector in Africa with specific focus on PMCs engaged in quasi-military operations, as well as the way forward.

On 11th July 2010, whilst the final of the FIFA World Cup was underway in South Africa, a twin bomb blast in Uganda’s capital Kampala killed 74 people. The locations targeted for the bomb attacks were an Ethiopian restaurant and a Kampala rugby club that was screening the World Cup final. The blasts came two days after a commander of the Somali militant group al-Shabaab, urged militants to attack sites in Uganda and Burundi. Al-Shabaab subsequently claimed responsibility for the attacks, making this the first time the militant group has carried out attacks outside of Somalia. This discussion paper examines the bomb attack in Kampala and al-Shabaab’s perceived threat outside of Somalia.