Event

In the Shadow of Demobilizing Boko Haram Fighters: Assessing and Encouraging Community Acceptance

Anticipating community reactions to Boko Haram fighters returning home.

Time
- America/New York

This virtual roundtable discussion was co-hosted by United Nations University Centre for Policy Research (UNU-CPR), Mercy Corps Nigeria, and Innovations for Poverty Action Nigeria.

Over 5,000 former fighters defected from Boko Haram in the summer of 2021, and many more are in government facilities awaiting to return home. In this event, new research on what communities think about former members of Boko Haram — and how they are reacting to fighters returning home — was presented.

Findings from UNU-CPR's Managing Exits from Armed Conflict surveys described current trends in community acceptance, and an experiment — run by a consortium of academics in partnership with Mercy Corps Nigeria, and with support from Innovations for Poverty Action — analyzed how apologies from former fighters and messages from religious leaders can change community members’ minds and shift norms about acceptance.

Speakers

Dr Graeme Blair

Assistant Professor of Political Science
UCLA

Mohammed Bukar

Managing Director
Mobukar Research Consultancy Services

Fatima Yetcha Ajimi Badu

Field Research and Operations Associate
Mobukar Research Consultancy Services

Audu Bulama Bukarti

Senior Analyst
Tony Blair Institute for Global Change

Brett Schmicking

Nigeria Crisis Analytics Team Lead
Mercy Corp