“Bring back our girls” campaigners protesting in Abuja on 22 August 2014.
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Nigeria’s school abductions are a sign of neglect of territorial and human security in the country.
A US military drone at the Barkhane French military base, Niamey on 22 December 2019.
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Niger is cutting military ties with the US. This has implications for security in the Sahel region.
Supporters of southern Cameroon independence outside Westminster Abbey, London, on 14 March 2022.
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Cameroon’s rebels don’t have the unity, funding or logistics to achieve their aims.
Rwandan soldiers on patrol in northern Mozambique in 2021.
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Rwandan forces have been able to keep civilian casualties low in Cabo Delgado despite carrying out a counterterrorism operation.
Chadian soldiers form part of a regional force, 2015.
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Boko Haram may be the unintended beneficiary of the crisis created by the recent coup in Niger.
Niger’s Gen Abdourahamane Tchiani declares himself head of state on 28 July 2023.
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Ethnic politics, the presence of foreign troops and the weaknesses of past responses to coups encouraged Niger’s recent military takeover.
Mozambican Armed Defence Forces being inspected in Cabo Delgado Province.
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In parts of Nigeria and Mozambique, the central governments and state institutions are either absent or unable to address the dire socio-economic conditions and related instability.
Bola Ahmed Tinubu arrives to attend his swearing-in ceremony at Eagle Square venue, Abuja, on May 29, 2023.
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President Bola Ahmed Tinubu inherits major security challenges. Job creation, poverty alleviation and inclusive growth may be the solution.
Small arms and light weapons recovered from bandits in Jos, north central Nigeria.
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A lack of political legitimacy can lead governments to illegal purchases of small arms and light weapons.
Guerillas from the Mozambican National Resistance (Renamo) pictured in 1990.
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Policies that reduce poverty, inequality and socioeconomic insecurity lower the incentive to engage in or tolerate terrorism.
Nigeria’s president-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu in Abuja in July 2022.
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Once in office, the new president will face a myriad of challenges, chief of which is insecurity.
Supporters of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party describe their presidential candidate and his running mate as unifiers because of their ethnic and religious mix.
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Damage to the fragile Nigerian state is one possible fallout of mixing religion with politics.
Young people in Nigeria seek freedom from repression and other governance failures. Photo by Olukayode Jaiyeolai/NurPhoto,
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Young Nigerians actively discuss politics and governance despite being kept on the sidelines. They seek a government that would promote their inclusion and solve problems affecting them.
Members of the Nigerian Armed Forces Sniper Unit
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Spiralling insecurity is one of the biggest takeaways when considering Nigeria’s year in review, in 2022.
Parents of students abducted from Bethel Baptist High School, Kaduna State, north-west Nigeria, pray inside the school premises.
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To stem the tide of violent extremism across the Sahel region, especially northwest Nigeria, the vulnerabilities and grudges of border communities need to be properly addressed.
People cheer at the army after the latest coup in Burkina Faso.
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To understand the latest coup in Burkina Faso, one must appreciate the internal power struggles in the country, their links with violent extremism as well as the role of external state actors.
Protesters in Lagos register their displeasure against rising insecurity.
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Nigeria’s next president must take these steps to redeem the country’s endangered national security.
Parents and relatives of abducted students demanding the release of their families who had spent 55 days in captivity as at March 12, 2021.
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Nigerians are at risk of kidnapping as the cost of committing this crime is far less than its benefits.
Hakeem Odumosu, former Lagos State Police Commissioner, addressing journalists during a protest in Lagos.
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Public trust and confidence in the police is a concern in many parts of the world. How can Nigeria get it right?
French Marine Special Operation Forces trained Mali’s soldiers under the Task Force Takuba mission.
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Though its full impact is unpredictable, the withdrawal of France from Mali will have some likely effects.