Africa Specialty Risks - AFCON: Delivering a successful event amid a region of unrest

By Zouheb Azam, Head of Political Violence and Terrorism at Africa Speciality Risks Group

Sunday saw the conclusion of the 33rd Africa Cup of Nations, hosted by Cameroon and won by Senegal. The competition, which had been rescheduled due to the coronavirus pandemic, saw twenty-four of the best footballing nations come together. As ever, hosting such a large event comes with substantial risks, which can be mitigated with sound insurance coverage and direction by Africa specialists. The Political Violence and Terrorism division of Africa Specialty Risks played a leading role in designing and covering this event, providing the necessary insurance cover for the tournament in partnership with local insurers on the ground.

Before the opening ceremony, many had concerns about Cameroon’s ability to host the competition, questioning the countries logistical and stadia readiness and whether it could cope with an event of such a large scale. Indeed, Cameroon was supposed to host the last edition, but operational delays forced the organisers to move the tournament to Egypt.

This time around, security threats and rising regional insurrections in the West of the country cast serious doubts around the safety of the tournament. On the 12th of January, as the first match of group F was taking place in Limbé, fierce fighting was ongoing in Buea, capital of the Southwest Region, located just 21km away. Buea, where some teams participating in the tournaments were staying and training, was also rocked by explosions days before the start of the tournament. To add to these internal concerns, there has been a wave of coups with military rule installed across West African countries presenting a danger of further violence spilling over the border into Buea.

Despite these challenges the tournament went ahead across Cameroon with Limbé successfully hosting matches too. The latter was down to the determination of  President Paul Biya who has been in power since 1982, one of longest standing presidents globally.  

With a US$300 million stadium named after himself, part of a whopping US$700 million investment for this tournament, the commitment from President Paul Biya was very high. A security incident would have been damaging to his image as AFCON has been branded as a moment of national unity, with investment and matches in the Anglophone region as well as the rest of the country. A successful AFCON could mean a greater acceptance of the Government’s firm security policy by the international community.

Stakes were equally high for the anglophone rebels, who were keen to make the most of the spotlight on the country by disrupting the event. Their years-long struggle has gained little attention on the world stage, and this represented a unique opportunity for them to make their voice heard and bring the government to the negotiating table. Severe threats were made in the build up to the tournament, however, the special security services were heavily deployed and did their job in keeping teams and fans safe.

CONCLUSION Senegal were crowned Kings of African football, and host Cameroon went further than initially expected. President Paul Biya emerges from the tournament stronger and further consolidating his longstanding tenure. Going forward it remains to observe whether the AFCON effect will impact the government’s policy on the ongoing internal conflict.