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Mitigating violent extremism in Southern Africa
Time to harness the power of the youth
24 Sep 2020
Policy Brief
By: Muneinazvo Kujeke

Violent extremism represents a significant threat to human security in sub-Saharan Africa, and has increasingly emerged in the Cabo Delgado province of Mozambique, in Southern Africa. The region’s youth, peace and security agenda has not kept up with this complex challenge. The youth in Southern Africa are more preoccupied with issues of governance, which shapes their perspectives of solutions to peace-and-security challenges. Broadly speaking, their approach to regional peace and security is informed by the perceived absence of an active armed conflict. Recent research has revealed that as the region’s youth look at peace and security through the lens of governance deficits, they become highly vulnerable to increased violent unrest, as both victims and perpetrators.

Publication Information

Author: Muneinazvo Kujeke
Partner: ISS
Year: 2020
Violent extremism is a leading threat to Southern Africa’s peace and security. The success of efforts to mitigate this hazard largely depends on whether regional policy- and decision-makers are able to leverage the peace-making potential of the youth demographic. As both victims and perpetrators of the insurgency in Mozambique, the youth should be afforded the opportunity to lead in silencing the guns and preventing the spread of violent extremism to other countries in the region.
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