Why Violent Extremism Still Thrives – Anouar Boukhars
Channel: Africa Center for Strategic Studies
Date: 2019-07-08

View the slides as a PDF here:
https://africacenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/ESSLS-Session-9-Boukhars-EN-1.pdf

Why do insurgencies in Africa continue to be dominated by violent extremist groups, when the objectives of these groups are more radical than the larger populations they claim to represent?

Anouar Boukhars finds a solution to this puzzle, identifying the strategic incentives that insurgencies have to recruit fighters from extremist groups. In environments pervaded by bad governance and intense inter- and intra-group tensions, individuals and communities tend to embrace any group that offer them a chance of survival or that seem to address their grievances.

For insurgency leaders, the adoption of a radical revolutionary identity provides a critical competitive advantage in attracting the most dedicated first-movers and fighters necessary to build a well-funded, robust network that can outcompete rival rebel groups and shape the dynamic and outcomes of conflict. These first-movers are usually high quality rebels who help the insurgency win early battles and create the impression that their armed struggle has the best chance at bringing about change.

He concludes with the important recommendation that "it is how governments treat their citizens that matters if one hopes to counter violent extremism in Africa."

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