Switzerland and the International Crisis Group (ICG) yesterday asked the Federal Government to reassess its current handling of the renewed violence in the Niger-Delta, the Boko Haram crisis and similar social conflicts and adopt a new approach.
The Swiss Ambassador in Nigeria, Eric Mayoraz, and the Director, Africa Programme, International Crisis Group (ICG), Dr. Comfort Ero, urged the promotion of peace and human security in place of political exclusion and social marginalization.
They both spoke at the launch of a report titled: “Exploiting disorder: al-Qaeda and the Islamic State,” by ICG in Abuja.
“We are convinced of the necessity to engage in peace promotion and human security activities in most inclusive way possible. Solutions to conflicts must be rooted in inclusive political processes, based on the rule of law and respect for universal human rights,” Mayoraz said.
His country, according to him, is currently working in about 40 conflict zones globally, including Nigeria where it is supporting peace building efforts and promoting constructive engagement through dialogue, mediation and other systematic preventive measures aimed at directly addressing grievances and root cause of violent extremism.
Dr. Ero, while presenting the report, said it formed part of ICG’s new project on “violent extremism and modern conflict,” which focuses on understanding the diverse movements involved in conflicts extremism, and developing smarter policy options.
The ICG Africa Programme Director, who observed that cases of violent conflicts were on the increase in some West African countries and South Asia, said the report revealed that standard counter-terrorism toolkits like financial sanctions, travel bans, targeted killings and special forces operations have proved to be inadequate against groups like Boko Haram and al-Shabaab in Africa.
The report recommended that countries and governments battling extremist groups should develop responses to such groups on a case-by-case basis, after an accurate diagnosis of the affected group’s strength, goals and relationship to communities, rather than applying the same approach to different groups and cases.
It suggested some approaches to curbing violent extremism to include applying force more judiciously, opening lines of communications (even with hardliners) and investing more in conflict prevention. It further recommended that governments should, in applying force, be more strategic in order not to alienate local communities or even drive them to support the extremists.
While stressing the importance of communication in conflict resolution, the report noted that the Nigerian government’s initial refusal to dialogue with Boko Haram shortly after the 2009 Miaduguri crackdown, “was a lost opportunity that may have de-escalated the conflict.”