The Centre for Sustainable Development and Education in Africa (CSDEA) is an independent organization that seeks to address the challenges of violence and poor governance that are making sustainable development elusive in Africa.
The Progress Study on Youth, Peace and Security was mandated by the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2250 (2015) to develop the United Nations Secretary General’s Global Report on Youth, Peace and Security to be presented to the United Nations General Assembly.
Cordaid, as part of its commitment to addressing fragility, hosts the CSPPS – coordinating IDPS CSO Secretariat.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This research was led by Theophilus Ekpon and assisted by Acholonu Chidozie Douglas. It has benefited throughout from the support of the CSPPS Secretariat (Peter van Sluijs, Mireille Mudipanu Kabasubabo and Eric Sanchez); and from the contributions of the Secretariat of the Progress Study on Youth, Peace and Security at the United Nations Peacebuilding Support Office and the United Nations Population Fund. Special thanks to Arziki Sawa and Emeka Stanley Nnaji of the CSDEA for their innumerable contribution and support.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Lake Chad Basin countries of Cameroun, Chad, Niger and Nigeria have been marred by violence since the advent and rise of violent extremist groups like Boko Haram, Ansar Dine, and Mujao. Their continuous existence and operation means have tremendous negative effects on the young people in the region. This is because the youth in the region are brainwashed, deceived or forcefully recruited to serve as foot soldiers for these violent extremist groups. This trend if not reversed has long-lasting human, economic and social costs.
The constant involvement of some young people as perpetrators of violence has led several segments of society to stereotype them as the problem. However, this research has shown that the solution to violent extremism and other threats to safety and stability of the countries in the Lake Chad region can be found in working with young people, and tapping into their talents and potentials to reform and rebuild society. The adoption of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2250 (UNSCR 2250) on Youth, Peace and Security in December 2015 is a major and strategic global acknowledgement of the key role of young people in peacebuilding.
The primary objective of this research paper is to inform policy makers and the international community of key policy and programming considerations for supporting youth-led and youth focused initiatives that are aimed at preventing violent extremism in the Lake Chad Basin region.
This research paper highlights some of the localized drivers of violent extremism in the Lake Chad Basin countries, enumerates some of the concrete initiatives by and for young people that are aimed at preventing violent extremism in the region. It goes further to show the operating environment of these youth groups and their initiatives while also discussing their sources of technical and financial support. The research concludes with the following key recommendations for policy makers, governments, and the international community in pursuance of the implementation of UNSCR 2250:
The Civil Society Platform for Peacebuilding and State building (CSPPS) is a South-North nongovernmental coalition of peacebuilding organizations that coordinates and supports civil society participation in the International Dialogue on Peacebuilding and State building (IDPS).