As stated, some practitioners have asked this very question: what would DDR look like when implementing PVE. Since there are no current rules guiding how to handle processes such as traditional disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration (DDR) programs in countries suffering from violent extremism, measuring the impact of such programs becomes futile. airstrikes, and, to a lesser extent, the rise of defection/reintegration programs. In Somalia, the threat of Al-Shabaab has largely been kept at bay the last sequence of violent attacks seemingly diminished due to a combination of factors, such as the group running out of funding, increased U.S. Moreover, according to the ICRC, “Promotion of IHL or human rights standards among armed and security forces, prison authorities and judicial authorities could be seen as contributing to strengthening good governance.” Thus, poor governance is a major source of motivation to join VEOs.Ĭlosely linked to IHL adherence in PVE is the lack of framework and research that help set out the practicalities of conducting this type of preventative work in conflict-affected countries. IHL clearly defines the terms relating to both state and non-state violence in an armed conflict governments adhering to these parameters would most likely reduce the rate of citizens joining extremist groups. According to local sources in Somalia, where the beleaguered federal government has been battling the Al-Qa`ida-linked violent extremist organization (VEO) Al-Shabaab, communities often report that the indiscriminate heavy-handedness of security forces was a major decision for joining the group, with economic opportunity the other main factor. According to the 2017 UNDP Journey to Extremism in Africa report, “A sense of grievance towards, and limited confidence in, government is seemingly widespread in the regions of Africa associated with the highest incidence of recruitment to violent extremism.” Generally, when states are the source of conflict, their populations will find opposition narratives more alluring than those of their governments. Ensuring that PVE efforts are grounded in IHL would allow for effective legal mechanisms and due processes when engaging with actors in armed conflicts.Īdditionally, another benefit of adopting IHL in PVE would be clearly defined legal measures with regard to state-sponsored violence. There is a dearth of research in identifying a framework that captures PVE within the decrees of IHL examining the linkages between the two would help build such a framework. Particularly, without guiding principles of IHL in an armed conflict, PVE measures targeting issues such as poor governance, violations of human rights, and the rule of law will be difficult to define legally. Not assigning IHL as one of the leading priorities in PVE implementation risks retarding the progress to combat extremism in conflict-affected areas such as Somalia and in some regions of Ethiopia. Though the UN stresses that international humanitarian law (IHL) should guide each of its global plans of action, IHL has not been directly assigned as one of the seven priority areas in its PVE Reference Guide. Regional states should promote CSOs to function unrestrictedly in the arena of PVE since they have the most direct access point to working with vulnerable communities. Civil society organizations are vital partners in PVE and could even play a leading role given their community-centered work and approach. It is notable that juxtaposed to Magufuli’s curtailing the rights of CSOs is Ethiopia, which created more open space for CSOs to operate in February of 2019. For example in Tanzania, president John Magufuli has “continued to deregister civil society groups.” In response, alarmed civil society organizations (CSO) in Tanzania and abroad wrote an open letter to Magufuli urgently requesting not to backslide on the progress made on human rights thus far, a call that seemingly landed on deaf ears. According to the 2017/2018 Amnesty International Annual Report, “the world witnessed a rollback of human rights,” a trend that did not escape the HoA region.
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