Counter-Terrorism Amidst COVID-19 Waves

Since the outbreak of the coronavirus, advances in science and technology have been stretched to the limits and even called into question. The COVID-19 has not only killed thousands of persons daily but cases of infection have also been growing in leaps and bounds. The unprecedented health security threat has undermined national and global economic activities following the shutdown of businesses, airlines and the stay-at-home orders by some governments. In addition to these responses, it is pertinent to begin to explore how the novel coronavirus can exacerbate local conflict dynamics in weak states where the consequences of the pandemic are likely to assume a calamitous scale.

This week’s edition of Nextier SPD assesses the impact of the pandemic on counterterrorism efforts in the Lake Chad Basin where terrorist groups fester.