Facilitating Community Action Against Boko Haram

Recently, the Nigerien military hosted a Counter-Boko Haram summit, with support from Spirit of America and US Forces. The event took place in the southern Region of Diffa, near the border with Nigeria, where Niger’s Boko Haram problems have been centered. The one-day event was an impressive feat for the fledgling Nigerien Civil-Military (ACM) team who has been trained and mentored by the US Civil Affairs team in the region for the past 6 months.
Field Rep Christopher VanJohnson coordinated SoA support for the summit through the Nigerien ACM and local leaders

Field Rep Christopher VanJohnson coordinated SoA support for the summit through the Nigerien ACM and local leaders

The Counter-Boko Summit brought together 75 local, traditional, and religious leaders from the 15 most vulnerable villages in the area with Senior Nigerien government and military leaders to discuss the Boko Haram threat and how they could best address it at the community level; stopping the flow of recruits, policing their own villages, protecting themselves from violence, and connecting more thoroughly with the government and security forces in the area. In the weeks leading up to the event, word of the summit reached the President’s office and he personally dispatched two delegates to observe and report back what was discussed to the highest levels of national leadership.
75 local representatives from 15 villages were joined by government and military officials for the Summit, facilitated by the Nigerien ACM leader with advice and mentorship from the US Civil Affairs team in the region

75 local representatives from 15 villages were joined by government and military officials for the Summit, facilitated by the Nigerien ACM leader with advice and mentorship from the US Civil Affairs team in the region

The Nigerien ACM team in Diffa took the lead on planning and running the event after repeatedly hearing requests from the communities they serve during patrols and assessments with their US counterparts. The US Civil Affairs Team in the region chose to take an advisory roll in the event rather than being the primary driver. This allowed them to further develop the capacity of the ACM while at the same time ensuring that the results of the summit would have community buy-in. They embraced the ground-up, local approach to this problem as opposed to the top-down, heavy-handed approach which is much easier but generally far less effective.
As the US Civil Affairs team advised and mentored the Nigerien ACM, they conducted joint patrols and assessments across the Diffa Region to better understand community needs and vulnerabilities

As the US Civil Affairs team advised and mentored the Nigerien ACM, they conducted joint patrols and assessments across the Diffa Region to better understand community needs and vulnerabilities

The event started with addresses from the government and military officials but quickly took on a “town hall meeting” style discussion. After voicing local concerns and opinions to the senior government and military leaders, a rare opportunity in and of itself, Sergeant Fougou, the ACM leader, facilitated a breakout session for local and traditional leaders. This allowed the village representatives to develop a grassroots community-based strategy that was presented to the government officials later in the day.
A village representative volunteers to speak and offer his insights during the community-level breakout sessions to develop a new grassroots counter-Boko Haram strategy

A village representative volunteers to speak and offer his insights during the community-level breakout sessions to develop a new grassroots counter-Boko Haram strategy

Most impressive was the inclusion of both women and representatives from the local refugee population. Not only were these vulnerable and important groups included in the event but they were encouraged to speak, voicing their experiences, concerns, and opinions on the best ways to proceed. One woman spoke of the heart-break of having her son join Boko Haram and change into someone she no longer recognized. Another local representative talked about the pervasive fear in his village, mistrust of unfamiliar faces, and the future difficulty of needing to reintegrate former-Boko fighters.
A representative of the local refugee population details her experiences, opinions, and frustrations for the assembled government and military leaders during the town-hall portion of the summit

A representative of the local refugee population details her experiences, opinions, and frustrations for the assembled government and military leaders during the town-hall portion of the summit

Frustrations with the current Nigerien strategy for addressing the Boko Haram problem were also voiced. However, by doing so directly to government officials in an open and honest way, the frustrations were aired productively and became a source of strength and inspiration as opposed to a wedge driving communities and the government apart. At the end of the day, the event was a tremendous success. The strategy recommendations developed by community leaders during their break-out session were formally endorsed by the government and military leaders present and forwarded on to the President for his consideration. Coverage of the event was also broadcast across the region via local TV and radio stations, informing even those in the most remote villages of the efforts being made. Community representatives left knowing that they had informed policy and with a unified way forward to address Boko Haram’s barbarity, violence, and fear. You can read more about this event and other US efforts in Niger here and can help contribute to Nigerien community action against violent extremism here. community_action_cvj3 Christopher VanJohnson Field Operations Project Manager – Africa
Chris is a US Army veteran having served as an Armor officer with a deployment to Baghdad in 2008-09 and then as a Special Operations Civil Affairs Officer with multiple deployments to Nepal in 2011-12.

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No endorsement of Spirit of America by the US Department of Defense, Department of State, or US personnel is intended or implied.

Registered 501(c)(3). EIN: 20-1687786

“You don't have to wear a uniform to serve the nation.™” and “Patriotism without politics.™” are trademarked by Spirit of America.

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