About this Research Topic
Despite over a decade of counterterrorism and counterinsurgency campaigns, the Sahel is now home to the world's most lethal and fastest-growing violent Islamist groups (VIGs) like the Macina Liberation Front (FLM), Ansarul Islam and the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara, and the VIGs have therefore become an integral part of the security terrain of the sub-region – increasingly gaining in resolve and strength. Worse, coastal West African countries such as Ivory Coast, Togo and Benin have experienced jihadist attacks, following the intensification of jihadist presence in the Sahel, especially Burkina Faso and Mali. Thus, fears that these countries, and others like Ghana and Senegal, will see increasing jihadist presence feature prominently on their security agenda. This concern is justified by pointing to the presence of similar and unchanging socio-economic and political dynamics across the region, “absent” borders, persisting poor capacity of traditional security mechanisms, and the presence of favourable demography. The “coming” threat has thus put enormous pressure on border politics and challenged these countries' internal security, leading to numerous legal and policy frameworks and interventions.
The threat of jihadist presence in littoral West African countries is real. However, apart from analysis from security think tanks and government agencies, there is a dearth of rigorous research on the subject. Accordingly, the extent and nature of the threats are unclear, and the framing of the threat has been largely speculative and analogical. In light of this, the causality of these radical movements should be better identified as lying, for instance, in drastic changes experienced in the region, such as drought, climate change and human displacement. Moreover, variations and analytical nuance in the anticipated presence of VIGs in coastal West African countries are generally absent. To address this gap and related others, this project will study the enabling context, structures and agents of jihadist violence and conflict in the Sahel and, mapping these enablers, identify continuities and changes with factors in coastal countries. Articles in the collection will be interdisciplinary, combining themes in fields such as peace and conflict studies, security studies, geography, psychology, religion and spirituality, education and pedagogy. Articles may employ a comparative study of two or more countries or focus on a single country or a part thereof. Empirical research is strongly encouraged in efforts to contribute to existing knowledge in the field through the inclusion of work grounded in evidence.
We are calling for research articles of between 7,000 to 10,00 words in length that address themes around one or more of the following questions:
• What socio-economic, political, and spatial context, structures and agents could shape the level, extent, and nature of jihadist presence in coastal West African countries?
• Are the enabling factors of jihadism in coastal West African countries enough reason to expect a jihadist presence in these countries? If so, what type/s of jihadist presence is/are likely?
• Are the risk levels of all these countries the same, and if not, what explains the variations?
• What pre-emptive and preventive measures could forestall the threat?
• Are there any currently deployed pre-emptive and preventive measures in place and how effective have they been in forestalling the threats?
• What lessons can coastal countries learn from the counterterrorism and counterinsurgency campaigns in the Sahel and other parts of the world?
• What new knowledge is emerging from these regions on terrorism and counterterrorism in Africa.
The threat of jihadist presence in littoral West African countries is real. However, apart from analysis from security think tanks and government agencies, there is a dearth of rigorous research on the subject. Accordingly, the extent and nature of the threats are unclear, and the framing of the threat has been largely speculative and analogical. In light of this, the causality of these radical movements should be better identified as lying, for instance, in drastic changes experienced in the region, such as drought, climate change and human displacement. Moreover, variations and analytical nuance in the anticipated presence of VIGs in coastal West African countries are generally absent. To address this gap and related others, this project will study the enabling context, structures and agents of jihadist violence and conflict in the Sahel and, mapping these enablers, identify continuities and changes with factors in coastal countries. Articles in the collection will be interdisciplinary, combining themes in fields such as peace and conflict studies, security studies, geography, psychology, religion and spirituality, education and pedagogy. Articles may employ a comparative study of two or more countries or focus on a single country or a part thereof. Empirical research is strongly encouraged in efforts to contribute to existing knowledge in the field through the inclusion of work grounded in evidence.
We are calling for research articles of between 7,000 to 10,00 words in length that address themes around one or more of the following questions:
• What socio-economic, political, and spatial context, structures and agents could shape the level, extent, and nature of jihadist presence in coastal West African countries?
• Are the enabling factors of jihadism in coastal West African countries enough reason to expect a jihadist presence in these countries? If so, what type/s of jihadist presence is/are likely?
• Are the risk levels of all these countries the same, and if not, what explains the variations?
• What pre-emptive and preventive measures could forestall the threat?
• Are there any currently deployed pre-emptive and preventive measures in place and how effective have they been in forestalling the threats?
• What lessons can coastal countries learn from the counterterrorism and counterinsurgency campaigns in the Sahel and other parts of the world?
• What new knowledge is emerging from these regions on terrorism and counterterrorism in Africa.
Keywords: West Africa, the Sahel, Islamist militancy, terrorism, counterterrorism, border security
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
