Morocco maintains standing as most insulated country from terrorism in North Africa- Global Terrorism Index

Morocco remains the most secure country from terrorist attacks in the southern Mediterranean, said the Institute for Economics & Peace (IEP) in its 2023 Global Terrorism Index.

Morocco took the 83rd place ahead of European countries such as Spain, the Netherlands and Austria underscoring its standing as the safest country in North Africa.

“The countries most impacted by terrorism include Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Egypt, Algeria and Libya; while other countries have not recorded a terrorist attack in the last five years, such as Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and Morocco,” the report said.

Algeria was ranked among the countries with a high terrorism risk slightly outperforming war-torn Libya, while the index showed Tunisia’s descent into uncertainty with a high terrorist attack risk.

IS remained the deadliest terror group globally for the eighth consecutive year, recording the most attacks and deaths of any group in 2022, said the report.

The Index pointed out to the nexus between wars and the surge of terrorism, with over 88 per cent of attacks and 98 per cent of terrorism deaths in 2022 taking place in countries in conflict.

“All ten countries most impacted by terrorism in 2022 were also involved in an armed conflict. Attacks in countries involved in conflict are seven times deadlier than attacks in peaceful countries,” it said.

As the Sahel emerges as the epicenter of terrorism, deaths in the region represented 43% of the global total in 2022, compared to just one per cent in 2007, the report noted.

The political situation in the Sahel compounds the worsening terrorism risk in the Sahel, with six coup attempts since 2021, of which four were successful, it said.

The report also warns against the evolution of tactics adopted by terrorist groups, mentioning the use of drones which have been used by groups such as IS, Boko Haram and the Houthis.