Policy brief: Reframing Security in Lake Chad Basin

Vigilante groups in the Lake Chad Basin region are pivotal yet precarious actors in the conflict against Boko Haram. While instrumental in providing security and countering the insurgency, they are also implicated in human rights violations, abuses of power, and occasional instances of tactical cooperation with Boko Haram insurgents. These realities blur the lines between violent actors and community protectors and show the risk of vigilantes devolving into regional security threats long-term. Despite their contributions to regional security, the current fragmented approach to regulating vigilante activities and open-ended state collaboration regionally is inadequate. In order to mitigate risks and maximise their security contributions, this brief calls for the establishment of a regional treaty on vigilantism.

This treaty should be designed to comprehensively regulate vigilante activity through a multilevel framework, operating at community, national, and Lake Chad regional levels. The proposed treaty provisions are subdivided into three thematic sequential pillars: 1) Institutional Governance and Accountability, which establishes oversight and legal frameworks; 2) Operational Standards and Capacity Building, focusing on vetting, training, and inclusive practices; and 3) Sustainable Transition and Future Planning, ensuring compensation, exit strategies, and long-term research. By adopting a coordinated thematic strategy, the LCB region can harness community-based legitimacy and operational effectiveness of vigilante actors.