Abstract:
This article analyses the surge of political conflicts in sub-Saharan Africa linked to radical Islam, with a view to proffering an appropriate framework for conflict prevention and management. There has been a spiral of conflicts involving various radical Islamist groups in sub-Saharan Africa in recent years, especially in the aftermath of the 9/11 2001 terrorist incidents in the US, which has led to the current US-led 'global war on terror.' Given the enormous Muslim populations in sub-Saharan Africa and the fact that most countries of the region are malleable, 'patrimonial or prebendal states' (see Lewis, 1996) with weak political and socio-economic structures, the entire region is considered a soft underbelly for Islamist militancy and other forms of extremist activities.
