Pentagon Official Frets Climate Change Is Driving Africans To Join Jihadist Groups

Climate change is complicating the fight to purge Africa of jihadists, at least according to one senior Pentagon official.

Maureen Farrell, the Pentagon’s deputy assistant secretary of defense for African affairs, repeatedly suggested that climate change degrades the overall security situation in Africa and helps extremist groups in the region recruit new members during her Tuesday remarks at the Defense Writers Group, according to DOD News. The Washington Post wrote in December 2023 that the Islamic State “is surging in Africa,” while a number of other recent reports have found that jihadists are on the march across the continent.

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“Climate-stressed areas are a recruiting opportunity for terrorist groups,” said Farrell, according to DOD News.