NSD-S HUB | THE SOUTHERN TALKS #12: Western Sahel

This highly interesting and topical discussion on the threat of growing terrorism in Western Sahel today introduces our esteemed guest, Mr. Oluwole Ojewale, of the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) regional office in Dakar, Senegal.

Oluwole Ojewale is the ENACT Programme’s Regional Organised Crime Observatory (ROCO) coordinator for Central Africa, based in Dakar. Before joining ISS, Oluwole was the head of research and strategy development department at CLEEN Foundation in Abuja. He led extensive research engagements on policing, accountable governance for justice and security, human rights, preventing and countering violent extremism, civil-military relations, human trafficking and election security threat assessments. Oluwole recently completed his PhD degree at Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria.

He began by providing an in-depth overview of the current situation in Western Sahel, primarily focussing on issues such as weak governance and the drivers of the growing terrorist threat. Much of his expertise comes from first-hand experience and is based on the perspectives he has gathered from local populations.

The YouTube video is timestamped for easy viewing.

Highlights

Harsh criticism of authoritarian regimes whose true objectives are always the survival of the regime, rather than the wellbeing of the population.
The greatest threats to peace and security stem directly from the biggest issue – the absence of effective governance.
Analysis and comments regarding increased TG activity in littoral States, hitherto largely free from terrorist activity.
Local populations are often poorly informed due to censorship and media suppression.
The vulnerabilities of the vast majority of local populations is directly leading to greater TG recruitment.
The ease with which arms can be illegally trafficked due to the porosity of borders and the absence of strong governance.
Walking away from regional security cooperation architectures (e.g. ECOWAS, G-5 Sahel) provides fertile ground for TG expansion.
Countries are leaving ECOWAS, not so much over security concerns, but because they are concerned with external stakeholders dictating the terms of democratic transition.
Narratives pushing anti-French and anti-Western narratives may well have reached their sell-by dates – strong cultural connections remain.