Vol. 5 Issue 7 POLICY WEEKLY September 06 – 13, 2021

Community Dialogue: Stepping Up the Game (The Lake Chad Basin)

Policy Recommendations The Lake Chad Basin, which comprises Dialogue Quartet was organised for Cameroon, Chad, Niger and , is communities to stand together and spare their notorious for violence. In the past, organised country from the ravages of conflict. In the Adoption of Flexible Stabilisation crimes such as smuggling and banditry were immediate aftermath of the Second World Programme. rife in the region. The region has become the War, German and French citizens were 1 heartland of violent extremism such as involved in dialogues as the basis of massive terrorism, resulting in brutal fatalities and development in reconciliation between these Vital communication channels for enormous humanitarian tragedies. The communities. information sharing must be hemorrhagic effects of the led strengthened across communities insurgency have prompted national, regional Linkages and Vulnerabilities of the Region 2 within the Lake Chad Basin. and global responses aimed at ensuring peace. Essentially, these efforts, which have The Lake Chad Basin countries share been top-bottom response mechanisms, have historical and environmental linkages, socio- Critical stakeholders across yielded marginal successes over time. This economic dynamics, and vulnerabilities that communities such as civil society transcend national boundaries, which non- organisations and traditional and edition of Nextier SPD Policy Weekly state actors exploit. Many communities within 3 religious leaders should help their highlights the imperative for community members keep a better and dialogue for more consolidated peace in the the region have historically experienced improved mental outlook. Lake Chad region. minimal interactions with the state. This has attenuated their relationship with power Conceptual Lens centres. The allegation of corruption and Local institutions such as youth and mismanagement further reinforces the women groups can be strengthened William N. Isaac (1993) defined community disconnect from the state. For instance, apart to appropriately checkmate security dialogue as a sustained collective inquiry into from the Niger Republic, which ranked higher 4 threats through training on how to the process, assumptions and certainties that at 32 out of 88, Cameroon, Chad and Nigeria identify signals of security threats compose everyday experience. As a forum, it ranked in the bottom threesome of the and how to respond to distress calls. draws participants from different sections of a Transparency International’s 2020 Corruption community. It also creates the opportunity to Perception Index. Also, communities, states exchange information and perspectives, clarify or provinces in countries within the region Reconciliation framework should be exemplify precarious economic vulnerabilities a main structure of the community viewpoints, and develop solutions to issues of in terms of lack of access to public services, dialogue processes in the Lake interest to the community. According to Isaac, 5 Chad Basin. the community dialogue process is essential high rates of unemployment and poverty at three levels. Individual-level applies to a created by minimal state interventions. For limited group of individuals to help them solve example, in the poverty rate in Cameroon’s problems and understand their roots and far North, which is the hotbed of Boko Haram, Nextier SPD Policy Weekly provides an causes. At the group level, dialogue process 74% of the population live below the poverty analysis of topical conflict, security, and applies to a larger group of people within the line compared to the national average of development issues and proposes same country among conflict tribes about a 37.5%. recommendations to address them. It is a particular matter. At the national level, which publication of Nextier SPD. is within the community, it is required that The region is also home to a poorly educated actors of all categories and classes of the group. As these young people have no For further discussion of pragmatic same society participate. Dialogue is credited professional training, they gravitate to implementation of the recommendations, for its positive contribution to communities at smuggling counterfeit goods from Nigeria. please contact all levels, from the ravaging nuclear arms race Beyond the minimal state presence, the globally to resolving grassroots community countries in the region share geographical problems locally. During the Burundian civil peculiarities due to the watery expanse of war, series of community dialogues with Lake Chad, porous nature of national borders www.nextierspd.com critical stakeholders was organised for peace and cross border linkages. [email protected] stabilisation. Also, the National Tunisian +234 701 002 7301 Due to desertification and its manifestation in the shrinking of Nextier SPD (www.nextierspd.com) is an international development consulting firm that uses evidence-based research to develop and build knowledge and skills to enhance human security, peace, and sustainable development as means to achieving stability and prosperity in Nigeria, and in the African region. waters in Lake Chad coupled with the region's fast-growing Stepping up Community Dialogue in region population expected to double in the next 25 years, the region suffers from environmental pressures (Mahmood and Ani, 2018). Given the linkages and vulnerabilities and the established gaps in the regional and national responses to the Boko Haram The linkage of the countries within the region is also evident in insurgency, community dialogue becomes an imperative option. religious history. The Islamic religious movements in Nigeria, ranging from the Usman Dan Fodio’s jihad in the early 1880s in 1. Adoption of Flexible Stabilisation Programme: the northwest to the Maitatsine uprisings in State in the Communities within the Lake Chad Basin have had varied 1980s, and the anti-establishment preaching of Muhammed experiences of security threats and so require varied Yusuf in Borno in the 2000s have linkages throughout the Lake responses. The bottom-up approach rather than the top-down Chad region. For example, the Maitatsine founder Mohammed approach is required. Such an approach will capture the local differences and ensure that their needs are appropriately Marwa hailed from Cameroon (Osumah, 2019). Also, students addressed. from Cameroon, Chad and Niger often travel to Nigeria for religious study and education (Mahmood and Ani, 2018). The 2. Strengthening of Communication channels: Vital above linkages depict the fragile environment of Lake Chad and communication channels for information sharing must be the vulnerabilities which non-state actors such as Boko Haram strengthened across communities within the Lake Chad have been able to exploit. Basin. With constant information sharing, exchange, and flow, organised crimes and attacks in ungoverned areas can be Regional and National Responses preempted and neutralised. 3. Building Positive Mental Outlook: Critical stakeholders The brutal consequences of the security uncertainties in the Lake across communities such as civil society organisations and Chad region have prompted various regional and national traditional and religious leaders should help their members responses broadly categorised as military and non-military keep a better and improved mental outlook. This can be measures. achieved through constant reassurances of the people that the future is bright in the face of the current precarious At the regional level, a military response is mainly the economic realities and security uncertainties. establishment of a regional security force. The Multinational Joint 4. Strengthening Local Institutions: Local institutions such as Task Force (MNJTF), which is established to counter Boko youth and women groups can be strengthened to Haram violence, comprises military personnel and militias from appropriately checkmate security threats through training on the four countries; Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria. Before how to identify signals of security threats and how to respond the emergence of Boko Haram, Multinational Joint Security Force to distress calls. was established in 1994 to combat banditry and facilitate free movement in the region. In 1998, the regional security force was 5. Creating a Reconciliation Framework: Reconciliation strengthened to deal with border issues before being named framework should be a main structure of the community dialogue processes in the Lake Chad Basin. As defined by MNJTF in 2012. The regional force has been reactive and Lederach (1997), this framework should consist of four main restricted to national borders, and this has not been active in the pillars of Truth (made up of Acknowledgement, Transparency, local communities where actors of insecurity breed. Revelation and Clarity), Mercy (made up of Acceptance, Forgiveness, Support, Compassion and Healing), Peace At the national level, countries like Cameroon and Nigeria have (consisting of Harmony, Unity, Well-being, Security and established and deployed special military regions or forces such Respect) and Justice (containing Equality, Right relationships, as the Fourth Joint Military region and Operation Lafiya Dole, Making things right and Restitution). This should target both respectively. While such military responses have resulted in the victims and the perpetrators for the right reconciliation rescuing hostages, recapturing seized communities from Boko during such community dialogue. Haram, and creating an enabling environment for the return of Reconciliation framework should be a main structure of the the displaced persons, they have had an unintended non-salutary community dialogue processes in the Lake Chad Basin. impact with attendant local discontent. The military operations have been limited largely to urban centres. Some local Conclusion communities in Marte and Abadam Local Government Areas in This policy weekly examines the imperative of community dialogue Borno State have been off-limit of military air operations. Also, the in the Lake Chad Basin. The necessity of community dialogue military operations carry the accidental risk such as the bombing stems from the spatial and historical linkages and socio-economic incident of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camp in Rann on dynamics and vulnerabilities and gaps in the regional and national January 17, 2017. responses to the Boko Haram crisis. It requires the adoption of a reconciliation framework as the main structure of the process. Non-military regional responses include mounting regional Others include a flexible stabilisation programme, building a stabilisation workshops by the Lake Chad Basin Commission in positive mental outlook, strengthening communication channels late 2017 and establishing the Lake Chad Basin Governors' and local institutions to complement efforts to ensure sustained Forum in May 2018 to strengthen linkages at the level. These peace in the region. responses have been a top-down approach. References At the national level, non-military responses by countries with the region to the include a declaration of the Isaacs, W.N. (1993). Taking Flight: Dialogue, Collective Thinking, and Organizational Learning, Organizational Dynamics, 22(2), pp. state of emergency, supporting vigilantes such as the Civilian 24-39 Joint Task Force (CJTF) in Nigeria, the establishment of peace committees, adopting de-radicalisation and reintegration Lederach, J.P. (1997) Building Peace: Sustainable Reconciliation programme for repentant Boko Haram militants. These in Divided Societies, United States Institute of Peace Press, responses have been largely restricted to the national rather than Washington, DC regional level and conducted on an ad-hoc basis in response to the tactics adopted by the jihadist sect. Mahmood, O. S. and Ani, N.O. (2018) Responses to Boko Haram in the Lake Chad Region: Policies, Cooperation and Livelihoods, ISS Research report However, it is good to point out that there are some grassroots community dialogue training, workshops, and other similar Osumah, O. (2019). Assessment of State Responses to Terrorism programmes by NGOs (Non-Governmental Organisations), CSOs and Insurgencies, African Journal for Security and Development (Civil Society Organisations) and development partners such as 2(4), pp.79-96 MCN (Managing Conflict in Northern Nigeria), CRS’s STaR programme (Catholic Relief Service) in the region. However, many of these programmes do not feed directly at the regional Authors: Dr Oarhe Osumah is an Associate Consultant with and national levels. There are obvious gaps between the Nextier SPD and teaches Politics and Public Administration at community programmes and the national and regional level Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Edo State, Nigeria. programmes. This, in many instances, affects the issue of sustainability and also, do not get the adequate attention needed Dr Ndubuisi Nwokolo is the Partner and Chief Executive of Nextier from the state. SPD.

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