Violent Extremism and Instability in the Greater Horn of Africa

60 | Violent Extremism and Instability in the Greater Horn of Africa
security situation or, at the very least, maintain the
status quo.
Increase public service delivery and
accountability. Expanding access to and
accountable delivery of public goods, safety and
security, and services to historically marginalized
regions and groups is a critical early measure to
begin mitigating socioeconomic and political
tensions in society. A trust deficit exists in the
Greater Horn region between citizens and states,
and improving statutory and nonstatutory
mechanisms for delivering public goods,
from civil and political rights to housing and
infrastructure to justice, security, and jobs, is key
to alleviating this deficit. Some of the foremost
contributing factors to citizens’ experience of
injustice and discrimination can be found in
daily encounters with bribery and corruption.
Establishing mechanisms for overt or anonymous
reporting of corrupt service providers, introducing
legal standards and disciplinary measures in
governmental institutions to curb corruption,
and encouraging participation in anticorruption
training and awareness raising can all contribute to
increased governmental accountability. Legally and
operationally empowered independent oversight
and accountability measures to take decisive
action and stronger AML controls are essential for
addressing lower-level and grand corruption.
Build synergies between development assistance
and CVE objectives. Identifying synergies within
existing and planned development assistance at
the national and international levels for addressing
drivers of violence and violent extremism is a
strategic necessity for designing a holistic approach
to CVE. 356 A drivers approach to CVE focuses
on addressing the underlying political and
socioeconomic grievances of communities, and
diverse streams of development assistance will
be the primary means of achieving CVE goals.
For example, supporting local entrepreneurship
initiatives in communities can have an enormous
impact on alleviating conditions of acute
deprivation and sociopolitical marginalization.
Supporting governance reform, electoral monitoring
systems, advocacy groups, and effective political
party and campaign organization is essential for
expanding the space for political empowerment and
a crucial component for addressing grievances of
political and socioeconomic disenfranchisement.
Enhance inclusive community engagement. Trust
among diverse national communities and between
communities and their government is important for
maintaining peaceful societies. Addressing longstanding
grievances in society depends on a safe and
open environment for constructive and inclusive
dialogue. For example, the use of counterterrorism
laws and policies for the persecution of minority
groups, the press, and political opposition
severely damages community trust and limits the
possibility of constructive dialogue. Strengthening
intercommunal dialogue and engagement with
civil society can help demonstrate governmental
willingness to accept criticism and make policy
changes to address community concerns. Civil
society can serve as an essential public good in and
of itself outside the realm of politics. Groups such as
the Youth Arts Development and Entrepreneurship
Network work in urban areas throughout East
Africa with the aim of engaging young people and
empowering them to actively participate in the
social, cultural, and economic development of their
communities. Including such nongovernmental
actors and other relevant stakeholders in the design
and delivery of inclusive national CVE strategies
can further enhance their impact and broaden their
support base.
Increase the effectiveness, diversity, and
accessibility of platforms for political activism.
Peaceful mechanisms for promoting and achieving
change are critical to compensate for circumstances
in which political institutions are not responding
356 For more recommendations on enhancing synergies between CVE and development assistance, see Eelco Kessels and Christina Nemr, “Countering Violent
Extremism and Development Assistance: Identifying Synergies, Obstacles, and Opportunities,” Global Center on Cooperative Security (UK), February 2016,
http://www.globalcenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Feb-2016-CVE-and-Development-policy-brief.pdf.