Description
Although the coastal countries of West Africa have not experienced full scale internal conflicts in recent years like the Sahelian countries, several of them have been the target of cross-border attacks perpetrated by either jihadist groups or pro-governmental militias. In this context, civil-military committees (CMC) that bring together representatives of the local security forces and civil society to discuss and address security problems have become increasingly popular as a Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) initiative. International partners, such as the UNDP and USAID, have encouraged the adoption of this model. This presentation interrogates the usefulness of the CMC in addressing new security threats by looking at Côte d’Ivoire and Benin. While the Ivorian CMC have been established in the context of Security Sector Reform and have no explicit CVE mandate, the more recent Beninese CMC have been set up for CVE purposes. Extensive field research carried out in Côte d’Ivoire suggests that the CMC experience a tension between their peacebuilding and CVE mandates, and that they can best prevent radicalization indirectly, addressing inter-community tensions. Future field research will aim to ascertain whether these findings can be replicated in Benin, where the CMC face a much more tense security situation.
