Energy security under threat in East Africa

Terrorist threats facing the oil and gas industry will be addressed at the East Africa Energy Infrastructure Security Forum, to be held on 4 – 5 February in Nairobi, Kenya.

The government of Somalia has recently pledged to liberate areas of the state controlled by the terrorist organisation Al-Shabaab; however the threat posed by this group is now too far reaching to be effectively suppressed without international action.

Recent hydrocarbon discoveries and the resulting international investments flowing into the region show that East Africa holds huge potential, however the growing pressures from Al-Shabaab in the region and ISIS globally means oil and gas companies are now more vulnerable to the threat of terrorism than they have been in the past.

The destabilisation of Iraq’s economy and oil stock market in the last few months was largely caused by the incursions of the militant group Islamic State (IS); the threat of a similar breakdown is one East African countries cannot ignore.

IRN will host the East Africa Energy Infrastructure Security Forum in Nairobi, where speakers will examine the growing terrorism threat presently affecting the region with industry peers and regional security experts.

The forum will contain a case study on the real threat posed by terrorist groups and their activities targeting the oil and gas industry. A senior researcher from the Institute of Security Studies in Kenya will deliver an overview of insecurity, terrorism and religious fundamentalism in East Africa, analysing the menace posed by extremists such as Al-Shabaab and Lord’s Resistance Army and the socio-economic impact of their activities on the energy industry in East Africa.

Adapted from press release by Katie Woodward

Read the article online at: https://www.oilfieldtechnology.com/exploration/28102014/terrorist-threats-in-east-africa-1718/