The contributions of civil society organizations (CSOs) to the various counterterrorism initiatives and peace operations in Africa cannot be underestimated, particularly in light of their active participation in conflict prevention, peacebuilding, capacity-building and humanitarian activities in locales ravaged by conflict. Not limited to research and analysis, capacity building, community engagement, mediation and humanitarian action, this report maps the various roles CSOs have played, and are still playing, in the fragile and conflict-ridden regions in Africa.
While CSOs have been significantly involved in specific counterterrorism initiatives and peace operations, other contexts reveal their minimal engagement in certain security initiatives. Because addressing the complex threat of terrorism and insecurity in Africa necessitates a holistic and multi-dimensional approach, moving beyond policy frameworks to securing the buy-in and meaningful civil society participation in the design and implementation of security initiatives is essential.
The time to do that is now!
