Briefing on the Threat of Terrorism for Telecoms in Africa, with a Focus on Vodacom in the DRC

Background: Terrorism: “the United Nations General Assembly has condemned terrorist acts using the following political description of terrorism: "Criminal acts intended or calculated to provoke a state of terror in the general public, a group of persons or particular persons for political purposes are in any circumstance unjustifiable, whatever the considerations of a political, philosophical, ideological, racial, ethnic, religious or any other nature that may be invoked to justify them. Terrorism has become a global threat and is not just confined to the theatre of war, it is also not only targeted at nations involved in those conflicts like the United States (9/11) and Great Britain (the July 7 London Bombings) but also with any nation and organization that is seen as an ally of such nations.

Colonel Gaddafi are the United Kingdom and France, they are closely followed by the United States (an old and usual enemy of Libya but also by the Arab countries taking part in the coalition, every single national participating in the operations could be seen as a legitimate target. ” In stating this the point that I am making is, although Vodacom is a South African operation, we must take into concideration that Vodafone, a British entity is our major hareholder and the building where our head office is located, Building Gulf Oil is an American institution. Thus it would be a grave mistake to make the assumption that the company cannot be seen as a target of militant action and sensationalism. Current Situation: Emerging Terrorist Networks “As al-Qaeda has syndicated its ideology and violence, its affiliates and adherents in Africa and the Arabian Peninsula have become increasingly networked and adaptable in their recruiting, training, financing, and operations.

Violent extremist organizations, insurgents, and criminal organizations are exploiting weak governance and under-governed spaces, and remain determined to harm the United States, our partners and Allies, and innocent civilians. General Carter Ham, USA Commander, USA Africa Command in his address to the Senate of Armed Services Committee, 2 March 2013(sic). Terrorist organisations are operating in numerous African countries now including but not limited to: Country Active Terrorist Networks (only major listed)

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org “The Horn of Africa is Africa’s bridge to the Middle East. That fact explains much about the complex interrelationships between differing Islamic cultures within Africa, from east to west. ” (John Harbeson, The War on Terrorism in Africa; Princeton N. Lyman from Africa in World Politics p7) Vodacom Congo has up till now not considered terrorism to be a significant threat to business operations but rather conventional security threats as in fire, arson, bomb threats and armed robbery to name but a few. The risk management department recommends that the company review all emergency response, disaster recovery and business continuity protocols. Establishing contingency plans is suggested; general training for all employees would result in more efficient response should an emergency occur and is highly recommended. It is imperative that all security measures are reevaluated and a gap analysis be conducted.

Recommended areas where improvements are needed: Access and egress control policies should be enforced for effective visitor control and especially with vehicles entering premises and deliveries of parcels. Do an assessment of all CCTV and monitoring services and place additional cameras where needed. At the moment the local security service provider is ill equipped, there are no personal body scanners available at the building entrances.  There is no equipment available to search vehicles, i. e. stemmed mirrors etc. Retraining of security personnel, the security officers have not been trained on what to look for and how to search vehicles and people properly. General housekeeping, rubbish collection and building perimeters. (Security Management Bulletin no.

Countermeasures of threats of terrorist action) Training for these officers should focus on the following types of terrorist attack: Person borne IED (improvised explosive device) Vehicle borne IED Bombs directed against property and infrastructure, delivered in trucks, vehicles, packages, briefcases, laptop bags and also in postal items * Fire bombs using chemicals and incendiaries Improvised mortar attacks Riots and civil disturbance Kidnapping for ransom and extortion Armed robbery, fraud and credit card fraud for financing purposes Assassination of key figures Security Management Bulletin no:  Countermeasures of threats of terrorist action) In a nutshell, the security department should do a threat analysis and identify areas where the terrorist would want to: Boston Marathon Bombings, in his briefing after the bombings, also suggest that it should be noted that due to the recent attacks in Boston, that security at airports across the United States and Great Britain has increased substantially. Business travelers are advised to allow extra time to get to the ticket counters and to their gates.

There are long queues at the check-in counter and the duration of the security process has increased due to additional random bag searches. Hotel security has increased as well; travelers are advised to adhere to corporate security policies as well as local policies. In saying that if employees travel to the United States or the United Kingdom for the purpose of visiting Vodacom’s parent company or any other business travel, it is advised to monitor local media for additional security measures. This will also apply to the other countries mentioned where known terrorist cells are operating. A school of thought that postulates “as major disasters never occur at a time or in a manner that may be anticipated, pre-catastrophe planning is futile” is a gross abdication of reponsibilty and cannot be supported.

Vodacom Congo has clear ties with the United Kingdom due to alliances and shareholding agreements, Vodacom’s offices are located in a building owned by an American entity and the building is shared by Chevron Oil which is an American owned company, it would therefore be foolish not to recognize the direct threat to the company, it’s employees and assets. It would be surprising if many businesses and orginisations could avoid the consequences of terrorism at some time in their existance”. (Security management Bulletin 5. Disaster Planning) It is therefore imperative that urgent security focus is placed on the threat that terrorism poses to the company and its operations, large walk in customer care areas are prime targets where lots of people gather. A balance of security measure are very important to maintain a vigilant level of protection without creating too much discomfort to the employees, visitors, business partners and customers.

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