AN ASSESSMENT OF REGIONAL COOPERATION AND MANAGEMENT OF BOKO HARAM INSURGENCY: A FOCUS ON BORNO STATE OF NIGERIA, 2015-2019

Abstract

Most West African countries are weak in exercising control and authority in locations that are far
away from their national capitals. This weakness of these states offers sanctuary and an enabling
environment to terrorist movement within Africa and beyond. The ungoverned remote areas of West
Africa and vast empty land of the Sahel regions provide safe haven for international terrorist
organisations. The wide spread and diffusion of insurgences and acts of terrorism have sensitized
governments and their agencies to not only consciously identify the roots causes of these phenomena
but to put a collaborative and complex mechanism to address the problem. This paper therefore
examines the effectiveness of regional cooperation against the Boko Haram insurgency with the focus
on Borno State of Nigeria especially during the first tenure of President Mohammed Buhari from
2015 to 2019. The paper is anchored on the Security Complex theory. In terms of research method,
the paper relies on the Explanatory Design and utilizes empirical data generated from official
records and data from secondary sources with descriptive analysis. The paper argues that the West
African sub-region between 2015 to 2019 has improved members cooperation to enhance security
through the formation of a multinational joint task force to fight insurgents though, the situation still
remains fragmented and fragile with serious humanitarian consequence. The paper therefore
recommends that beyond military approach, there is also the need to improve the quality of lives of
the people and humanitarian assistance, rehabilitation and socio-economic development programmes
of the affected and ravaged region.