Understanding Insurgent Margins in Kenya, Nigeria and Mali

Abstract

In recent years, violent insurgency has gripped the margins of Kenya, Mali and Nigeria. Militant Islamist groups have attacked civilian populations, state security personnel and political-administrative officials, spreading insecurity across large areas and exploiting the mistrust between societies at the margins and central authorities. More attention needs to be focused on the role of local political, economic and social conditions in the areas where attacks are taking place, and a long-term solution to addressing violence in each country must involve resolving long-standing political grievances, a legacy of past state violence towards minority populations, and intra-regional inequality.