Columbia International Affairs Online: Policy Briefs

CIAO DATE: 02/2014

Mitigating Radicalism in Northern Nigeria

Michael Olufemi Sodipo

August 2013

Africa Center for Strategic Studies

Abstract

Ongoing attacks by Boko Haram and other violent Islamist groups coupled with an at times arbitrary response by Nigeria’s security forces have contributed to a deteriorating security situation in the north. Increasingly frequent attacks and bombings also mask longer-running radicalization dynamics. A sustained approach targeting every stage of the radicalization spectrum, from addressing socioeconomic grievances, to cross-cultural peacebuilding initiatives, to rehabilitating radicalized members of violent Islamist groups, as well as a more measured use of force are needed to reverse this broader trend. - See more at: http://africacenter.org/2013/08/mitigating-radicalism-in-northern-nigeria/#sthash.12aEyYzD.dpuf