Investing in Peace and the Prevention of Violence in the Sahel-Sahara: Second Regional Conversation
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Investing in Peace and the Prevention of Violence in the Sahel-Sahara: Second Regional Conversation AUGUST 2017 Introduction Violent extremism expresses itself in different ways depending on the context. Fed by both endogenous and exogenous factors, it is a phenomenon that, while occurring locally or nationally, also has regional and international dimensions. Violent extremism has broad societal, security, and governance implications and touches upon religion, ideology, economics, social issues, justice, and development, making it a complex problem that can be understood and analyzed differently, depending on the approach taken. This seminar was co-organized in N’Djamena, Chad, from May 31 to Are we witnessing the radicalization of Islamism or the Islamization of June 1, 2017, by IPI, the United radicalism, to reference a well-known debate on this topic? In what ways do Nations, and the Swiss Federal extremism and violence differ? Are they an attempt to bring about change or Department of Foreign Affairs. Over even a revolution (linked to political, social, or economic realities and the 100 participants from fourteen deterioration of state-citizen relations) or a quest for meaning (due to loss of countries in northern, western, and traditional, historical, and normative guidelines)? What role do religion and central Africa and ten regional and religious education play in the emergence of the phenomenon? How can these international organizations as well questions be asked and a respectful dialogue be engaged in while protecting as a number of independent experts societies from violence? What should be the role of researchers, religious participated in the discussion around the issue of violent leaders, and scholars? Of politicians? Civil servants? The private sector? The extremism from a regional perspec - media? Youth? Women? tive. These conversations were a In the hope of pursuing and deepening regional exchanges on such matters, follow-up to discussions that took the International Peace Institute (IPI), the United Nations (UN), and the place in Dakar, Senegal, in June Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (DFAE) organized a second 2016. round of regional conversations for the prevention of violent extremism in Arthur Boutellis, Delphine Mechoulan, N’Djamena, Chad, on May 31 and June 1, 2017, under the title “Investing in and Aïssata Athie of IPI’s Brian Peace and the Prevention of Violence in the Sahel-Sahara.” Urquhart Center for Peace Opera - The seminar brought together over 100 participants from fourteen countries tions supervised substantive prepara - in northern, western, and central Africa and approximately ten regional and tions for the seminar. Delphine Mechoulan and Marie-Joëlle Zahar international organizations, as well as a number of independent experts. They drafted this report, which reflects came from varied horizons: political leaders, civil servants, members of their interpretation of the discussions various armed forces and security organizations, members of civil society and does not necessarily reflect the (men, women, youth, NGOs), religious and traditional authorities, media views of all participants. representatives (in their capacity as experts), private sector representatives, researchers, delegates from regional and international organizations, and IPI owes a debt of gratitude to the 1 many donors whose support makes diplomats. These conversations followed those held in Dakar in June 2016 publications like this possible. In 1 International Peace Institute, “Investing in Peace and the Prevention of Violence in West Africa and the Sahel- particular, IPI is grateful to the Swiss Sahara: Conversations on the Secretary-General’s Plan of Action,” September 2016, available at Confederation. www.ipinst.org/2016/09/investing-in-peace-west-africa-sahel-sahara . The conversations in Dakar contributed to the development of regional perspectives on the secretary-general’s Plan of Action to Prevent Violent Extremism. UN General Assembly, Plan of Action to Prevent Violent Extremism: Report of the Secretary-General , UN Doc. A/70/674, December 24, 2015. 2 MEETING NOTE and an initial seminar in Tunis in November 2015. 2 In order to better understand the opportunities The forum created by this initiative eighteen and challenges facing investment in peace and the months ago appears to be unique and highly in prevention of violence, the conversations in demand. Its distinctive regional dimension (North N’Djamena also examined how to articulate the and sub-Saharan Africa), the care taken to include responses and solutions envisaged. How can the participants from a variety of professional delicate balance between security, political, socio- backgrounds, its space for free expression, and the economic, ideological, and developmental possibility it presents to cover subjects that are responses be attained and sustained? How can often taboo were positive elements frequently local, national, and international responses be stressed. The initiators of this forum were called articulated? How can external agendas or upon to maintain those dynamics, and support was understandings be prevented from holding back expressed for smaller-scale actions that could also the development of local solutions that are well- feed into a further round of conversations. suited and therefore sustainable? How can support be provided to both public and private efforts that During the previous seminars, it was noted that are concretely strengthening prevention or very policies aimed at preventing violent extremism clearly aiming to do so? need to be based on joint action involving institu - tions (local, national, regional, and international) A Range of Actors and New and communities. Only such action could lead to innovative responses suited to specific local Relationships contexts and perceptions. Therefore, this second round of regional conversations was further The conversations in N’Djamena emphasized the focused on state-citizen relations, political partici - multiplicity of actors involved in preventing violent pation, inclusive dialogue, and various initiatives extremism and reiterated the importance of creating, even if unintentionally, alternatives to reconciling responses at different levels. Starting violence. These themes were covered in four from the notion that violent extremism is linked to working groups dealing with state-citizen relations, governance failures, lack of dialogue, and the lack the specific role of defense and security forces, the of a real social contract between the state and its role of the media, and the particular situation citizens (among other things and according to the prevailing in the Lake Chad Basin. circumstances), participants nevertheless stressed the centrality of state action. Indeed, violent Moreover, the violence of armed groups is no extremism directly affects state sovereignty, longer considered inevitable, but rather as inciting the state to respond accordingly. Noting something connected to various streams of the importance of government leadership in violence permeating our societies. It is acknowl - developing and implementing prevention policies, edged that violence arises from social and participants expressed the wish that states would economic inequalities, oppression, failure to devote as much dynamism and willpower to respect minorities, uncontrolled behavior of armed prevention as they do to fighting violent extremism groups, and political exclusion. Although still by military means. poorly integrated into responses from state systems and structures, this acknowledgement nevertheless Although the battle against violent extremism is emerging as a factor in the thinking and actions has long been the private domain of defense and of political actors. The feeling that the future of our security forces, and responses have too often societies is in danger has become more commonly remained primarily security-focused, these forces shared. Economic and community rivalries, do not have a monopoly over security. They cannot intolerance, and power struggles will not disappear, take on the political or economic functions needed but violent extremism makes it more likely that to face the issues arising from violent extremism. they will affect the social and political foundations Moreover, while defense and security forces of our societies. certainly promote stability, their behavior may just 2 International Peace Institute, “Violent Extremism: Toward a Strategy of Prevention in the Francophone Space,” January 2016, available at www.ipinst.org/2016/01/violent-extremism-toward-a-strategy-of-prevention-in-the-francophone-space . Investing in Peace and the Prevention of Violence in the Sahel-Sahara 3 as easily become a source of problems, particularly to understand the differences among various when the deployment of forces is accompanied by contexts and forms of governance in order to assess abuses, which can accelerate the radicalization of the reactions of the communities directly affected, the population, or parts of it. as they do not react in the same way in different It is therefore important to make armies more places. Understanding the diversity of such inclusive, as well as to make police more local and responses should thus make it easier to identify the thus more representative of their societies’ diversity specific factors that foster clusters of positive and more likely to be in sync with the population. reactions or worsen the situation in a given Also, a number of questions