How viable is dialogue with al-Shabaab and Boko Haram?

Although negotiating with terror groups is sensitive and difficult, it needs to be explored as a policy option.

The campaign against terror groups in the Lake Chad Basin and Horn of Africa relies heavily on the use of force as a strategy. However, this approach is yet to deliver a sustainable solution. Although dialogue with terror groups is a sensitive and complex undertaking, it needs to be explored as a policy option that can complement existing counter-terrorism approaches.

About the Author

Dr Akinola Olojo is a senior researcher in the Transnational Threats and International Crime Programme in Pretoria. Before this, he was a visiting scholar at the Institut d’Études Politiques (Sciences Po), France, and also a visiting research fellow at the International Centre for Counter- Terrorism (ICCT), The Hague.

Picture: Amelia Broodryk/ISS