The United Nations (UN) Special Representative for West Africa and the Sahel, Dr. Mohammed Ibn Chambas, has said that the absence of dialogue and interaction among communities has been the fertile ground for radicalisation of youth, who are then used to engage in violent extremism.

Chambas said this at the ongoing Maiden West Africa Islamic Conference on Security and Governance, in Abuja, with the theme: “The Role of Islamic Organisations in Countering Terrorism and Violent Extremism in West Africa and the Sahel.”

He defined radicalisation as the act of brainwashing someone with the view to render the person intolerant of other experiences and views.

According to Chambas, the world is experiencing unprecedented violence and conflicts, driven by interstate conflicts, civil wars, systematic abuses of power, unconstitutional changes of government, interfaith and intra-religious tensions, ethno-tribal communal disputes, and sheer acts of terrorism and banditry, with many countries and peoples being subjected to untold suffering and insecurity.

He said: “The unwillingness to appreciate the existence of the other among communities across the world has bred gross intolerance, extremism, violent agitations, conflicts and oppression. These have been the key drivers of insecurity and lack of positive peace across the globe today.”

Chambas, who is also the African Union (AU) High Representative for “Silencing the Guns”, a flagship initiative of the AU Agenda 2063 designed to end wars and violent conflicts across the continent, quoted the 2024 Global Terrorism Index, saying the Sahel accounted for 19 percent of all terrorist attacks worldwide and 51 percent of global terrorism-related deaths in 2024.

“Our West Africa subregion has been under fire due to lack of effective interaction and dialogue among the diverse ethnic and religious communities,” Chambas said.

“The lack of engagement among members of the same ethnic or religious persuasions has bred unnecessary tensions, which in some cases has resulted in violent extremism leading to loss of lives and properties.

“It is therefore fitting that communities and community stakeholders, such as religious leaders, traditional leaders, among others, are put at the centre of the resilience push so as to fashion out a bottom-up approach to fighting this menace.

“We therefore need deliberate, practical peace education and awareness that engenders good relationships within and without communities to lay the foundation for sustainable development.”

The UN official emphasized that religious leaders, imams, scholars, and traditional authorities are uniquely positioned to provide this moral compass, guiding communities towards peace and countering extremist ideologies.

“Good communal practises and sharing of experiences in the management of territories and vulnerabilities of communities among and within the communities is a crucial tool to becoming resilient against these incessant attacks.

“Through the Silencing the Guns Initiative, the African Union underscores that peace cannot be achieved by force, but by peaceful means. It requires moral authority, spiritual guidance, and inclusive engagement,” he said.

ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Dr. Abdel-Fatau Musah, urged that Islamic organisations and Islamic leaders in West Africa and the Sahel to focus on educating the youths against extremism by inculcating the culture of peace through their schools and learning institutions across the region, “to imbue in them the love for each other, for their neighbour, through peace education, and to make sure that we keep enhancing social cohesion across our region.” (The Nation)