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The Precariousness of Protection: Civilian Defense Groups Countering Boko Haram in Northeastern Nigeria

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 August 2020

Daniel E. Agbiboa Open the ORCID record for Daniel E. Agbiboa [Opens in a new window]
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Abstract

For all the academic and policy interest in Nigeria’s Boko Haram insurgency, the coping strategies of civilians who survive amid everyday violence have received relatively little attention. Focusing on the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF), a pro-government militia fighting Boko Haram in northeastern Nigeria, Agbiboa explores how and why the group emerged, the nature of its relationship with the state and local communities, and how counterinsurgent vigilantism affects the prospects for peace. A focus on vigilantes and civil militias vis-à-vis the state points to the vital role of civil-military cooperation for effective counterinsurgency campaigns and for reducing state violence against civilians. At the same time, it underscores the precariousness of protection both in terms of increasing the targeting of civilians by vengeful insurgents as well as the tendency for civilian defense groups to “turn bad” and become threats to the communities they were expected to protect.

Résumé

Résumé

Malgré tout l’intérêt académique et politique porté à l’insurrection de Boko Haram au Nigeria, les stratégies d’adaptation des civils qui survivent au milieu de la violence quotidienne ont reçu relativement peu d’attention. En se concentrant sur la Force d’intervention civile conjointe (CJTF), une milice pro-gouvernementale combattant Boko Haram dans le nord-est du Nigeria, Agbiboa explore comment et pourquoi le groupe a émergé, la nature de ses relations avec l’État et les communautés locales et comment le vigilantisme anti-insurrectionnel affecte les perspectives de paix. L’accent mis sur les milices autodéfense et civiles vis-à-vis de l’État souligne le rôle vital de la coopération entre civils et militaires pour des campagnes anti-insurrectionnelles efficaces et pour réduire la violence de l’État contre les civils. En même temps, elle souligne la précarité de la protection, tant en termes d’augmentation du ciblage des civils par les insurgés vengeurs ainsi que la tendance des groupes de défense civile à "tourner mal" et à devenir des menaces pour les communautés qu’ils étaient censés protéger.

Resumo

Resumo

Apesar de todo o interesse oficial e académico em torno da insurreição do Boko Haram, na Nigéria, as estratégias de sobrevivência a que população civil recorre para lidar com a violência diária têm recebido relativamente pouca atenção. Centrando a sua análise na Força-Tarefa Conjunta Civil (Civilian Joint Task Force, CJTF), uma milícia pró-governo que enfrenta o Boko Haram no nordeste da Nigéria, Agbiboa procura esclarecer as razões por que esta Força surgiu e o modo como se organizou, a natureza da sua relação com o Estado e as comunidades locais, e de que forma as atividades destes vigilantes afetam as perspetivas de paz. O enfoque nos vigilantes, nas milícias civis e na sua relação com o Estado sugere que a cooperação civil-militar é essencial para a eficácia das campanhas de contrainsurreição e para diminuir a violência do Estado contra os civis. Simultaneamente, evidencia-se a natureza precária da proteção que essa cooperação proporciona às populações, quer porque contribui para intensificar os ataques sobre civis perpetrados por insurgentes vingativos, quer porque as iniciativas dos grupos civis de defesa correm tendencialmente mal, tornando-se uma ameaça para as comunidades que pretendiam defender.

Keywords

Boko HaramNigeriacivilian defense groupsCivilian Joint Task Force (CJTF)vigilantismcounterinsurgency
Type
Article
Information
African Studies Review , Volume 64 , Issue 1 , March 2021 , pp. 192 - 216
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2020. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the African Studies Association

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