West Africa’s Terrorist Challenge and the Dynamics of Regional Response

Benjamin Maiangwa
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Benjamin Maiangwa: Benjamin Maiangwa, Institute for Sustainability and Peace, United Nations University, Tokyo. E-mail: bennymaiangwa@gmail.com

Insight on Africa, 2013, vol. 5, issue 1, 1-18

Abstract: West Africa’s trajectory to democratisation and sustained socio-economic development has, since the end of the Cold War, been hamstrung by various forms of violence ranging from bloody civil wars, sectarian conflicts, coup d’états and secessionist insurgency. While some of these conflicts have to an extent been managed through the various interventions of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the region is still stifled by emerging security threats, especially as new waves of terrorism threaten the legitimacy and territorial integrity of some member states, with more obvious and painful evidence in Nigeria and Mali. Against this background, this article will explore the terrorist challenges in Nigeria and Mali in order to establish an identifiable trend and their regional linkages with other Al-Qaeda elements in the Sahel and the Maghreb. The article assesses the capacity of a regional response and argues for more security cooperation among West African governments through the coordination of ECOWAS and the long-term support of the African Union and the international community.

Keywords: ECOWAS; Nigeria; Mali; terrorism; West Africa; regional security (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2013
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:inafri:v:5:y:2013:i:1:p:1-18

DOI: 10.1177/0975087813515979

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