Pillar #1: Enhancing National and Local Resilience
This pillar focuses on increasing national and local resilience to prevent the emergence of terrorism. Over the past years, terrorist threats in West Africa have evolved significantly, affecting all states directly and indirectly. West Africa faces vulnerabilities that have led to terrorist occupations in rural communities. Research indicates that these communities often experience inadequacies in various areas, including the economy, security, human development, youth employment, literacy, infrastructure, poverty, and governance. By understanding the trends and root causes of terrorism in the region, we utilize lessons from the Sahel to build strong resilience. This is achieved through advocacy for state and non-state actors to take necessary actions and strengthen community-based security through consistent educational initiatives to improve human security and prevent terrorism.
Pillar #2: Mitigating Terroristic Activities
This pillar aims to design recommendations and strategies to mitigate terrorist activities and develop community capabilities to reduce risks. Without clear strategic tracking and mitigation mechanisms for terrorist activities, communities will achieve minimal progress in reducing threats and risk levels amidst pronounced vulnerabilities. Building synergy, consistent advocacy, and resource mobilization towards real-time data gathering and response coordination among state and non-state actors are key mitigation strategies. The coordination, integration, and synchronization of strategic interventions through appropriate channels will yield optimal outcomes and enhance communities’ capabilities to mitigate terrorism and violent radicalism threats.
Pillar #3: Reducing Youth and Women's Vulnerabilities
This pillar focuses on reducing vulnerabilities among youth and women. Lessons learned from the Sahel indicate that terrorists exploit community vulnerabilities to emerge. Similarly, many West African communities have pronounced vulnerability profiles that threaten governance, peace, and security. Youth and women, particularly in rural and urban slums, face deep-rooted and persistent challenges, including entrenched poverty, high unemployment, and increasing rates of sexual and gender-based violence. Achieving sustainable development requires strategies that target support to viable areas for reducing youth and women vulnerabilities. Key interventions include (i) increasing literacy and skills among the youth population to translate into sustainable livelihoods and community empowerment, and (ii) increasing private sector investment by building local and community capacity through local entrepreneurship, cooperative development, and livelihood diversification, with a focus on mainstreaming gender equality.
Pillar #4: Combating Money Laundering, Drug Trafficking, and Criminality
This pillar focuses on increasing community resilience against money laundering, drug trafficking, and criminality. Criminal activities across the West African region remain heightened, giving rise to illicit trades such as drug trafficking, illicit mining, money laundering, and other forms of cross-border crimes. Statistical findings indicate a strong negative correlation between criminality and community serenity. The development of many informal settlements, driven by population explosion, poverty, border porosity, and urbanization, is a major cause of increased crime across the region. Therefore, building the resilience of vulnerable communities and enhancing the capacity of response actors are essential interventions. These actions are crucial for improving sustainable development and social cohesion, thereby reducing the impact of crimes and criminality that support and finance terrorism
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