Voices: Viral 'miracles' a terror tool in Mali

BAMAKO, Mali – When I woke up Friday morning, the first thing I heard was news of the terrorist attack on the Radisson Blu hotel in my city.

I couldn't help it – my first thought was how lucky I was. I could have been among those who were trapped in that hotel. I was there the day before, about 10 hours before the assault began. And scarier still, the terrorists, who had registered as guests several days before, were already there.

My second thought was that while the attack may have shocked me initially, it did not really surprise me. Neither will the next one, or the one after that.

19 killed in terrorist attack on a Mali hotel came from around the world

That's because terrorists here, unlike in France or elsewhere in Europe, have been operating openly for years – and growing and spreading around the country.

And you can blame "miracles" for that.

These are the stories of babies who are born with marks on their skin in the shape of Arabic letters or other such nonsense that goes viral and lures the young to jihadi movements.

It's easy to find these on social media. And this "miracle" recruiting has been going on for years, especially in Mali, Nigeria, Senegal and Guinea – but also in Europe and elsewhere. And in my region, scarier still, the growth in popularity of these miracle stories often predicts a growth in violent jihadist movements.

But somehow, the main fight against militants here – and elsewhere – focuses on military tactics, security measures and, crazily enough, peace talks instead of dispelling these miracle stories and educating people so they become immune to superstition, indoctrination and recruitment.

Up to 27 dead in Mali hotel siege; one American slain

In 2013, French military intervention pushed militants out of their main strongholds in northern Mali. But instead of intensifying the fight against them, as is going on in Belgium and France these days, the international community concentrated its efforts on finding a peace agreement between the Malian government and the armed militants.

This was a mistake, and one I fear we will be paying for for years to come.

I have watched with dismay how these groups, still entrenched in the north, began expanding their hold to the center of the country and later to the south after 2013. Their recruitment efforts are intensifying and increasingly successful. The attack on the Radisson Blu is a symbol of their success and underscores their boldness.

Meanwhile, as these terrorists kill our people and destroy our cultural heritage, where religious diversity plays a key role, there is a great silence in Mali.

Take Al Mourabitoune, the al-Qaeda-linked group that used Twitter to claim responsibility for the attack on the hotel. The Islamist propaganda it spews thrives on social media. At first I was surprised, then later dismayed to notice the absence of negative reactions to hate talk.

The situation is dire: A recent study by GREAT, an independent research organization, reported that more than half of Mali's Muslims are in favor of sharia law, even though we have always been a culture that accepted the diversity of faith. It also detailed how many Mali youngsters may accept "miracle" propaganda or even join such groups as a way to secure their future.

As this recruitment goes viral, I worry about more than just our home-grown terrorists. I worry about the threat actually growing and being centered here.

The terrorists who attacked the Radisson Blu hotel in Bamako spoke English, according to Guinea singer Sekouba Bambino, a witness at the hotel. This speaks to the fact that they were likely not from Mali.

In fact, the big threat may be the cooperation – and unification – of different extremist movements on the continent of Africa, and foreigners becoming the backbone of terrorism in Mali, as they are in Syria and Iraq. We already have seen some of that here.

In 2013, when northern Mali was occupied by jihadists, many militants from Nigeria's Boko Haram found a perfect training ground for their recruits. So did militants from other places such as Egypt, Somalia and Sudan.

Our challenge is to avoid hosting such people again or offering our young to them as "soldiers."

And the only way to do that is to cherish our diversity, our culture that goes back thousands of years, our freedom. And teach our young to respect those, too, rather than buying into miracles.

Diarra is a reporter in Mali who writes for Associated Reporters Abroad.