Regional efforts needed to curb terrorism, not UN sanctions

THE UNITED Nations Security Council has just slapped sanctions on the Boko Haram terrorist outfit. This usually means assets freeze, travel ban as well as arms sanctions and branding it a terrorist group. But for Boko Haram, what will the practical impact of the sanctions be? Boko Haram did not need to be defined as a terror group; it had already made its choice. It does not operate bank accounts in its name, its leaders do not need passports nor do they have to pass through official border crossing points; porous borders serve their purpose just as well. The international community must act beyond the sanctions to have a meaning full contribution toward solving the Boko Haram problem. Rigid travel and immigration conditions have not only hampered cross-border trade, but they have also forced border communities and smugglers to resort to using unofficial and unmanned crossings. These are the same routes groups such as Boko Haram use or even control to raise revenues. During one of the sessions at the just concluded African Development Bank (AfDB) annual meetings in Kigali, a crucial subject kept coming up; how to ease movement on the continent. One of the reasons behind the reluctance of countries to open up their borders was insecurity, and as illustrated above, the threats will continue to exist if neighbouring countries do not collaborate to end the menace. Countries affected by Boko Haram are better positioned to understand its modus operandi and underlying factors that led to its existence. Their combined efforts could reign in the group, it is not toothless UN sanctions and shuttles to Paris that will do the trick.

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Regional efforts needed to curb terrorism, not UN sanctions