Publication

Affected countries’ predominant strategy to combat terror groups in the Lake Chad Basin and the Horn of Africa has been the use of force. In light of this, and as it contends this approach is yet to deliver a sustainable solution, this publication explores the option of dialogue with three of Africa’s most violent terror groups that are active in the region - Boko Haram, Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) and al-Shabaab – with a view to understanding the extent to which they can be amenable to talks. It concludes that although dialogue is not by any means the silver bullet required to end terrorism, African countries should more deeply explore it as part of a comprehensive set of policy options.