Publication

According to this report, African states confronting insurgent groups face a dilemma when civilians mobilize and take up arms to protect their local communities. Such vigilante forces can provide effective support in enhancing local security, but they also carry inherent risks, including the potential to transform into insurgent forces themselves. So how should African states make use of such vigilante groups? To help answer this question, the text’s authors examine four illustrative cases from Sierra Leone, Uganda’s Teso region, South Sudan’s former Western Equatoria State and Nigeria’s north east.