Insurgents\’ Homecoming

Recent surrender by alleged members of Boko Haram has temporarily overshadowed the imminent threats posed by the “dangerous merger” between the Islamic State West African Province (ISWAP) and Boko Haram. The Nigerian Army says about 1,000 Boko Haram fighters, including women and children, have surrendered to the Nigerian forces. Due to uncertain numbers in the rank and file of the terrorists, the significance of the surrender is felt more in predicting apprehension in the terrorist organisations. More importantly, for Nigeria, it renews conversation on the acceptance of ex-Boko Haram members into communities.

Surrender by ex-fighters does not translate to local acceptance. The Nigerian Army says it has rehabilitated 893 ex-Boko Haram members since 2016, while the Nigerian Identity Management Commission (NIMC) said it had registered about 900 repentant Boko Haram members. The Nigerian government began the Operation Safe Corridor to trigger a U-turn among jihadist fighters, a strategy to end the war on terror. However, the outcome has not been smooth. Many victims of Boko Haram have reiterated their opposition in accepting back into their communities prospective rehabilitated ex-insurgents. An online poll conducted by Premium Times shows that over 14,076 and 5,481 respondents on Facebook and Twitter, respectively, 92 per cent and 91.9 per cent voted against the idea of amnesty for ex-insurgents.

Understandably, concerns against Boko Haram returnees are valid but should be managed. First, victims of Boko Haram insurgency still suffer the harsh realities of the war, including loss of loved ones and livelihood, forced displacement and inherent sub-par conditions in places of refuge. Second, about 37,500 people have died from the insurgency. With the war without a clear end in sight, fresh attacks are a given. Third, the amnesty process may not have considered victims of the insurgency and target locations for reintegrating repentant jihadist fighters.

The Nigerian government have a hard task of engendering the acceptance of ex-jihadist fighters. Implementing Operation Safe Corridor as a counterterrorism effort has not received significant public support. Therefore, government must increase consideration of those affected by the insurgency. The Nigerian state must ensure that direct victims of the Boko Haram insurgency accept the principle of dialogue and support the process. The buy-in of Boko Haram-impacted communities and designated resettlement locations will, to a large extent, determine the success of the programme. The Nigerian state must also pay heed to concerned collective voices in the terror-troubled area. Arguably, the amnesty programme for repentant low-risk Boko Haram members may seem like a good path to peace, and it may also create inherent problems if not properly implemented.

Brookings Institute posits that, for Nigeria to become an exemplar of Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration (DDR) programmes, it has to expand leniency measures and effectively rehabilitate and reintegrate repentant members of armed groups in the country. Amnesty programmes should be formal, transparent and broad-based to include all stakeholders (Nigerian state, armed groups, victims and communities) of the conflict. This will ensure minimal retribution towards amnesty beneficiaries from communities that have directly or indirectly borne the impact of the conflict.

Government must accord more attention to victims of violent conflict in Nigeria. Lack of proper healing processes can breed grievance-driven violent conflict, especially in group versus group violence. There is a need to factor in participatory dialogues as part of reconciliatory and healing programmes for victims to address these risks. Government must demonstrate its commitment to support victims of violent conflict through policies and programmes that cushions their realities. Revenge-based violence is real and must be addressed through tailored criminal justice and psychosocial interventions. Even while implementing DDR programmes for repentant terrorists, government must show adequate considerations for the plight and views of those affected by the insurgency.