Thread by @rmaghrebi

#WestAfrica: THREAD - "Militarized Border Security Will Not Stop the Spread of Extremism into Coastal States."
My latest with @lmcsanders and Jordon Moss for @PolicyCenterNS where we provide some suggestions to avoid/limit the spread to #Benin #Togo #IvoryCoast and #Ghana 1/

#WestAfrica: Border strategies must enable trade, communication, and travel. Increasing the burden
of legitimate behaviors will make communities more vulnerable, alienate essential allies, and
lead people to see border officers as the enemy. 2/

#WestAfrica: Border security must serve & engage border communities and their leaders. Those who
live in border zones understand local dynamics better than external forces. They have critical information of what is changing, and have the most to lose from extremist influence. 3/

#WestAfrica: Women must be part of border security at all levels. Due to their high vulnerability and limited
access to male-dominated information channels, women and girls often maintain heightened security awareness and complex informal communications networks. 4/

#WestAfrica: Security forces should seek socially acceptable ways to solicit feedback from women on the behavior of security personnel, high risk areas, and tangible measures to improve community safety. 5/

#WestAfrica: International supporters, particularly those supporting border policing and military action,
must use nuanced political-economy analysis to understand the complex motivations of key
actors. 6/

#WestAfrica: In a region rife with coups, international donors must remember that those in power may fear their own militaries and act to undermine their effectiveness, even as they ask for international military support. 7/

#WestAfrica: At the same time, political actors may have an interest in strengthening those units they trust as tools of political oppression rather than national defense. 8/

#WestAfrica: Governments must focus on person-to-person engagement & service delivery. Perceptions
of government, borders, and VEOs are at least as important as territorial control. Feelings of trust, progress, hope, and belonging are powerful inoculations against extremism. 9/

#WestAfrica: Communities in border areas must feel that they are essential partners and that government
efforts are designed to protect them, not territory. Governments must promote transparency and allow debate around the VEO threat and #CVE
activities. 10/

#WestAfrica: ..the impulse to restrict information & close media space leads to rumors, suspicion, & the inability to properly inform citizens about what's happening in their communities. 11/

#WestAfrica: ...Instead, gvts should welcome public dialogue & scrutiny, and should promote the
idea that local people are key CVE partners. 12/

#WestAfrica: The current trajectory of the coastal states is alarming. While VEOs launch nearly daily attacks, national governments are taking counterproductive measures. It is not too late to avert disaster similar to the #Sahel END
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