To Defend Or Harm?: Community Militias in Borno State, Nigeria
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TO DEFEND OR HARM? Community Militias in Borno State, Nigeria 1 ABOUT CENTER FOR CIVILIANS IN CONFLICT Center for Civilians in Conflict (CIVIC) is an international organization dedicated to promoting the protection of civilians caught in conflict. CIVIC’s mission is to work with armed actors and civilians in conflict to develop and implement solutions to prevent, mitigate, and respond to civilian harm. Our vision is a world where parties to armed conflict recognize the dignity and rights of civilians, prevent civilian harm, protect civilians caught in conflict, and amend harm. CIVIC was established in 2003 by Marla Ruzicka, a young humanitarian who advocated on behalf of civilians affected by the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. Building on her extraordinary legacy, CIVIC now operates in conflict zones throughout the Middle East, Africa, Europe, and South Asia to advance a higher standard of protection for civilians. At CIVIC, we believe that parties to armed conflict have a responsibility to prevent and address civilian harm. To accomplish this, we assess the causes of civilian harm in particular conflicts, craft practical solutions to address that harm, and advocate for the adoption of new policies and practices that lead to the improved well-being of civilians caught in conflict. Recognizing the power of collaboration, we engage with civilians, governments, militaries, and international and regional institutions to identify and institutionalize strengthened protections for civilians in conflict. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This report was researched and written by Chitra Nagarajan, who conducted data collection with the support of Bulus Mungopark and Hauwa Haman. William Meeker, Tunde Ojei, Sarem Ugoh, and Shannon N. Green provided useful comments and valuable insight, and Monica Zuraw copy-edited the report. CIVIC thanks all those who generously gave their time and shared their perspectives and experience in the course of our research. CIVIC’s work in Nigeria is supported by the European Union and the UK’s Department of International Development. RECOGNIZE. PREVENT. PROTECT. AMEND. PROTECT. PREVENT. RECOGNIZE. Cover Members of the Civilian Joint Task Force, Nigerian Police Force and Nigerian Army who T +1 202 558 6958 protect Bakassi IDP camp in Maiduguri E [email protected] Metropolitan Council, December 2019. civiliansinconflict.org The Walking Paradox April 2020 Report designed by Dena Verdesca. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS About CIVIC iii Acknowledgements iii Acronyms 1 Executive Summary 2 Recommendations 3 Introduction 6 Methodology 7 Context 9 History and Evolution 10 Kungiyar maharba (Hunters) 10 Yan banga (Vigilante) 12 Kesh kesh (Shuwa vigilante) 13 Yan gora (Civilian Joint Task Force) 13 Present Day Dynamics 17 Current roles of pre-existing community militias 17 Interactions between community militia groups 18 Links with the federal and state governments 18 Motivations and Challenges 22 Motivations for joining 22 Challenges 23 Protecting Civilians 26 Bridging gaps between security agencies and communities 26 Detaining AOG members 27 Defending communities from attack 27 Running checkpoints 29 Screening new arrivals 29 Standing guard and conducting patrols 30 Providing security to enable livelihoods and theft prevention 30 Keeping order 31 Providing access to security and justice for women and girls 31 Resolving disputes 31 Serving the community in other ways 32 A force for community cohesion 32 Members of the yan gora (Civilian Joint Task CONTINUED NEXT PAGE Force) in Maiduguri Metropolitan Council, December 2019. Theiv Walking Paradox v TABLE OF CONTENTS CONT. ACRONYMS Harming Civilians 33 AOG Armed Opposition Group BOYES Borno Youth Empowerment Scheme Assaulting and killing those suspected of association with armed groups 33 Enabling detention without trial and other human rights abuses 33 CJTF Civilian Joint Task Force Recruiting and using children 34 DDRR Disarmament, Demobilization, Rehabilitation, and Reintegration Harming civilians directly and indirectly during military operations 35 GBV Gender Based Violence Pressuring communities to form community militia groups 35 IDP Internally Displaced Person Engaging in sexual harassment, exploitation, and abuse 35 IED Improvised Explosive Device Perpetrating physical violence and intimidating civilians 36 IHL International Humanitarian Law Committing extortion and theft, including diversion of humanitarian aid 37 Employing punitive justice measures and being 37 ISWAP Islamic State West Africa Province (Wilayat al Islamiyya Gharb Afriqiyyah) used to settle personal scores Trading and using drugs 37 JASDJ Jama’atu Ahl al-Sunna li-l-Da‘wa wa-l-Jihad Opportunities for Redress and Changing Behavior 40 LGA Local Government Area Future Trajectories 42 MNJTF Multi-National Joint Task Force Return to normalcy 42 NGO Non-Governmental Organization Increased politicization and engagement in criminality 42 RSM Regimental Sergeant Major A new phase of conflict 43 SEA Sexual Exploitation and Abuse Conclusion 44 VGN Vigilante Group of Nigeria vi 1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY RECOMMENDATIONS More than 36,000 people have lost their lives to the effectively, as they are able to share and glean To mitigate harm to civilians in the present and 3. Develop and implement zero tolerance policies violent conflict in northeast Nigeria.1 Owing to the initial information from women, and conduct body scans – encourage the successful reintegration and social for sexual harassment, exploitation, abuse and absence of state security forces, communities turned to which is important for protection given that women cohesion of community militia members, federal and violence, which includes: integration into training, existing community militias and formed new groups to are often used as suicide bombers. While civilians are state governments, donors, and NGOs engaging orientation, and oath-taking; action to change protect themselves.2 Over the last decade, community appreciative of community militias’ efforts to protect in conflict mitigation, development, protection, and social norms; communications campaigns militias have played key roles in the conflict, protecting them, they also pointed to ways in which community peacebuilding should take the following actions:4 around the seriousness of these crimes and the civilians from a range of threats including attacks, militias have harmed civilians – particularly the yan gora, existence of accountability mechanisms and abduction, sexual and gender-based violence, and who have been accused of assaulting and killing civilians punishment; and how to detect and act if sexual extortion. At the same time, these groups have been suspected of being associated with AOGs. Members Augment Accountability violence is taking place. responsible for harm against civilians. This report takes have detained individuals without trial; restricted freedom 1. Provide additional training on IHL, domestic an in-depth look at the role of community militias in the of movement, ostensibly for security reasons; engaged in and international human rights law, protection 4. Require community militias to implement these conflict in northeast Nigeria, capping off research sexual harassment, exploitation, and abuse; intimidated of civilians, civilian harm mitigation, community codes of conduct and rules of engagement CIVIC has been conducting since 2016 and building on and physically harmed civilians; and committed extortion engagement, and peacebuilding to those still as a pre-condition for security agencies and knowledge CIVIC has developed through engaging with and theft, including of humanitarian aid. They have also engaged in community militias. Integrate and government ministries, departments, and community militias on civilian protection and civilian harm employed punitive justice measures and have been used standardize these aspects into training already agencies to work with them. 3 provided, for example by the Vigilante Group of mitigation across Borno state. to settle personal scores. Despite their proactive defense 5. Put in place proper oversight and accountability Nigeria to its members. Document and develop of communities, the reputation of the yan gora has mechanisms at community, local government Despite their size and contributions, little is known about lessons learned papers to share with other declined relative to other community militia groups. areas (LGAs) and state levels that involve community militias and their operations, particularly organizations with the aim of scaling up similar security agents, government officials, outside Maiduguri, the Borno state capital. There are a When civilians have grievances about harm perpetrated interventions. number of community militia groups operating in Borno by community militias, the barriers for them to seek representatives from civil society, community- state, including the hunters (kungiyar maharba), yan redress are high. Several of these groups have internal 2. Engage with community militias to develop based organizations working on human rights baga (vigilantes), and kesh kesh (Shuwa vigilante), which disciplinary measures to improve accountability; and implement codes of conduct and rules of and civilian protection, and people with influence date back to two or three generations ago. Unlike these however, these processes are uneven and do not engagement that are in line with IHL, domestic in the community such as community leaders. groups, the yan gora, or Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF), function as well as they could. Through