Abstract
Borders in West Africa are undeniably porous. This is an issue of concern for West African governments, individuals, civil society groups and the international community as a whole. This porosity has contributed to the easy movement and crossing of borders by terrorists in attacking innocent people and targets across the sub-region of West Africa. Boko Haram (a terrorist group), which has its headquarters in the Bono State in Nigeria, easily crosses the Nigerian border as it attacks targets in Cameroon, Chad and Niger. Al-Qaida in the Islamic
Maghreb (another terrorist group) from Algeria, has a base in the northern part of Mali and easily crosses the Malian border and attacks targets in Burkina Faso, Niger and Cote D’Ivoire. In understanding why borders in West Africa are porous, this paper identifies a number of contributing factors including: the lack of clearly identifiable sub-regional and national border control policies; lack of political will; lack of intelligence gathering; lack of capacity, and; lack of cooperation and coordination (networked borders) with other States.
Measures to strengthen border control and policy recommendations are offered.
Maghreb (another terrorist group) from Algeria, has a base in the northern part of Mali and easily crosses the Malian border and attacks targets in Burkina Faso, Niger and Cote D’Ivoire. In understanding why borders in West Africa are porous, this paper identifies a number of contributing factors including: the lack of clearly identifiable sub-regional and national border control policies; lack of political will; lack of intelligence gathering; lack of capacity, and; lack of cooperation and coordination (networked borders) with other States.
Measures to strengthen border control and policy recommendations are offered.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Proceedings of the 39th African Studies Association of Australasia and the Pacific (AFSAAP) Annual Conference |
| Place of Publication | Perth, WA |
| Publisher | African Studies Association of Australasia and the Pacific (AFSAAP) |
| Pages | 116-123 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9780994268921 |
| Publication status | Published - Jun 2017 |
| Event | Africa: Moving the Boundaries: 39th African Studies Association of Australasia and the Pacific (AFSAAP) Annual Conference - University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia Duration: 5 Dec 2016 → 7 Dec 2016 Conference number: 39 http://afsaap.org.au/conference/perth-2016/ |
Conference
| Conference | Africa: Moving the Boundaries |
|---|---|
| Country/Territory | Australia |
| City | Perth |
| Period | 5/12/16 → 7/12/16 |
| Internet address |
