World leaders have been called to pay more attention to the sub-Saharan threat from al-Qaeda, a former head of the British armed forces has warned. General Sir David Richards who was the chief of defence staff from 2010 to July 2013 said Britain needed to learn from what it had done “and failed to do”. He also questioned whether the Nato operation against Libya in 2011 was the right thing to do, suggesting it may have contributed to the spread of arms in the region.

He said in the past year Islamist groups have stepped up their activities in several African countries. In Somalia, African Union troops have been battling with militants al-Shabab – which came to global prominence with its attack on a Kenyan shopping centre earlier this year. The French troops spearheaded the response to Islamist insurgents in Mali.

World leaders have been called to pay more attention to the sub-Saharan threat from al-Qaeda, a former head of the British armed forces has warned. General Sir David Richards who was the chief of defence staff from 2010 to July 2013 said Britain needed to learn from what it had done “and failed to do”. He also questioned whether the Nato operation against Libya in 2011 was the right thing to do, suggesting it may have contributed to the spread of arms in the region.

He said in the past year Islamist groups have stepped up their activities in several African countries. In Somalia, African Union troops have been battling with militants al-Shabab – which came to global prominence with its attack on a Kenyan shopping centre earlier this year. The French troops spearheaded the response to Islamist insurgents in Mali.

The Nigeria Government declared a state of emergency in response to attacks by the boko haram sect. “I do worry very much that sub-Saharan Africa is the next front – in many ways it already is,” Gen Sir David was quoted to have said. “We must learn from what we have done and failed to do in other parts of the world in trying to combat this risk and do it pretty quickly or it could become pretty vicious – as if it wasn’t already bad enough.”

The retired military General believes that the 2011 Nato-led campaign to remove Colonel Gaddafi in 2011 may have helped the proliferation of arms in Africa. He said that campaign was a tactical success but that the jury was still out on whether it was strategically wise.

Africa has seen growth over the years but the militants’ actions had caused widespread disruption and held back the region’s economies.

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Warning of terrorist attacks in Africa issued