Jihadism in West Africa: Adopting a Three-Dimensional Approach to Counterterrorism

Abstract

This paper assesses the jihadist threat in Nigeria, Mali, and to a smaller extent in Cameroon, Niger, and Algeria. The paper argues that due to the risk of West Africa being infiltrated by jihadist groups, it is necessary to strengthen the counterterrorism capacity of the major regional players: the African Union (AU) and the Economic Community of the West African States (ECOWAS), and enhance their collaboration with their foreign partners and civil society actors to defeat the jihadists' ambition for an Islamic Caliphate and build stability in the region. To the extent possible, the paper will review the counterterrorism policies and strategies employed by the United States, the AU, and ECOWAS, and then advance certain policy prescriptions that entail long-term investments by the international community, and regional and civil society actors in West Africa in the areas of defence, development, and peacebuilding.