On 25 and 26 August, the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) organized a two-part virtual round-table series with francophone and anglophone countries in West Africa.
The purpose of the round tables was to discuss the evolving threat landscape in the Lake Chad basin region and the Gulf of Guinea and examine States’ counter-terrorism responses from a civil society perspective. A total of 37 civil society participants from Cameroon, Chad, C?te d’Ivoire, Ghana, Mauritania, and Nigeria, together with a few Global Research Network members, attended the sessions.
Participants highlighted that the security landscape in West Africa remains volatile. In both sessions, they identified a growing nexus between terrorism and organized crime, with terrorist groups increasingly involved in arms smuggling, trafficking in persons and natural resources, kidnapping for ransom, cattle theft, and other illicit activities. Participants also expressed concern over the lack of State services that has left communities vulnerable to exploitation by terrorist groups and worsened pressure on civil society to provide necessary services.
The porous borders of countries in the region have exacerbated these threats, enabling the unregulated movement of goods, weapons, and people. Illicit economies – ranging from gold mining to livestock sales – continue to serve as major sources of financing for terror operations. Participants recalled the need for the authorities to not solely focus on military responses in securing borders but to incorporate development and economic incentives for border communities.
In the francophone session, participants discussed the current security situation in West Africa and how environmental factors, specifically droughts, floods and rising sea levels, and wildlife migration are putting further strain on local communities, which are already experiencing food insecurity as crops fail, as well as the effects of displaced people fleeing affected areas, displacement from fleeing affected areas, and competition over remaining natural resources.
Participants in the anglophone session shared that terrorist groups are increasingly deploying unmanned aircraft systems and experimenting with artificial intelligence in their operations, including surveillance and automated attacks. There is concern about how these groups are receiving and learning to use such technologies. The abuse of social media platforms has evolved from merely recruitment to live streaming propaganda and monetizing content.
Participants from both sessions highlighted socioeconomic factors as a major driver of instability. In the areas most vulnerable to the expansion of the threat of terrorism, youth unemployment, poverty, and illiteracy are widespread, creating fertile ground for radicalization to violence. In both francophone and anglophone contexts, mass migration of young people is common, reflecting desperation and lack of opportunities at home. Minority groups face systemic exclusion and discrimination, further increasing their susceptibility to recruitment by terrorist groups. Terrorist groups continue to capitalize on these vulnerabilities to deepen divisions and expand their influence.
Participants mentioned the important role of engaging local actors and civil society in countering these challenges. Traditional leaders, especially women community leaders – such as Queen Mothers – are deeply embedded in their communities and are instrumental to prevention and resilience-building. However, participants stated that civil society voices remain marginalized, including in the development and implementation of national and regional counter-terrorism strategies.
In its resolution 2617 (2021), the Security Council encourages Member States to consider developing comprehensive and integrated national counter-terrorism strategies and effective mechanisms to implement them that include attention to the conditions conducive to terrorism, in accordance with their obligations under international law. In the same resolution, the Council also recognizes the importance of civil society, including community-based civil society, grass-roots organizations, the private sector, academia, think tanks, media, youth, women, and cultural, educational, and religious leaders in preventing and countering terrorism, increasing awareness of the threats of terrorism, and developing effective ways of tackling these threats. The Council also underscores that civil society organizations’ strong engagement with local communities is crucial for preventing recruitment and countering radicalization to violence and encourages Member States to proactively engage with such organizations when developing rehabilitation and reintegration strategies.