Mr. Guterres was addressing the latest meeting of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Coordination Compact, which brings together more than 40 UN agencies, Member States and other partners.
The terrorism threat to Africa is increasing, he told participants.
Sub-Saharan Africa accounted for 48 per cent of deaths attributed to terrorist groups globally last year.
Exploiting fragilities
“Groups like Al-Qaida, Da’esh and their affiliates are continuing to grow in the Sahel and make inroads into Central and Southern Africa. They are exploiting power vacuums, longstanding inter-ethnic strife, internal weaknesses and state fragilities,” he said.
In conflict-affected countries, such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Libya and Somalia, terrorism has intensified cycles of violence, fuelling further instability, undermining peace efforts, and setting back development goals.
Meanwhile, in largely peaceful countries, such as Mozambique and Tanzania, terrorists are now seeking to exploit and manipulate societal grievances and mistrust in governments.
Reconciliation and reintegration
Despite these challenges, Mr. Guterres was convinced that progress is possible, based on his visit last month to Borno State in northern Nigeria.
Formerly a stronghold of the extremist group Boko Haram, the region is now on the road to reconciliation and reintegration.
“I was so impressed by the meetings I had with former fighters in one of the centres, with the meetings I had with victims and with this sense that Boko Haram, that was born in Borno State, is now clearly losing ground because the people have assumed largely, themselves, the capacity to undermine the work and the terrorist actions of Boko Haram,” he said.