Fight against violent extremism and graft takes toll on East Africa

Security officer.

Security officers comb Boni Forest in Lamu, Kenya, for Al-Shabaab militants. PHOTO | FILE | NMG

As East Africa struggles to recover from the ravages of the Covid-19 pandemic, the region is also fighting extremism, crime and corruption.

In this mix is illicit trade that is increasingly rising as the principal financier of extremism, criminal enterprises and breeder of corruption in East Africa and its surrounding regions, says a report by the Counter Extremism Project (CEP) released recently.