Tracking Social Media: And The 2011 Nigerian Election
By Judith Asuni and Jacqueline Farris. Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Foundation, 2011. New social media technology has changed the pattern of how information is disseminated to Nigerian citizens. This was dramatically displayed during Nigeria’s most recent national elections, during which voting irregularities and electoral violence were monitored and better managed using widely available new media tools. Such technology, however, was also be used to stoke post-election political violence. Civil society groups, the electoral commission, security agencies, and media outlets must integrate these new tools into their planning so as to absorb, respond to, and raise the accuracy of vastly higher levels of circulating information. Download the Article: [PDF]Conflict in the Niger Delta: More than a Local Affair
By Chris Newman. United States Institute of Peace, 2011. Since a 2009 amnesty program with Niger Delta militias, neither Nigeria nor foreign partners have invested enough to end violent conflict in the region. There are rumors of an arms buildup and kidnapping persists, with prominent Nigerians now targeted as frequently as expatriates working in the oil sector. Meanwhile, reconstruction and investment efforts have tended to exacerbate patronage networks, fueling a violent backlash. International partners should direct more support to build local NGO capacity and community engagement in order to overcome delays and foot dragging at the state and federal levels, but success will require persistence and extensive financial and technical assistance. Download the Article: [PDF]Boko Haram's Evolving Threat
By J. Peter Pham. Africa Center for Strategic Studies, April 2012.
A surge in large-scale attacks over the past year by Nigerian Islamist terrorist organization Boko Haram presents a serious threat to stability in West Africa’s most populous state and the world’s sixth largest oil exporter. The group has successfully expanded its geographic reach, mastered new sophisticated tactics, and targeted symbols of international presence in Nigeria. In this Africa Security Brief, J. Peter Pham assesses the significance of this upsurge, examines the origins and goals of this opaque group, and puts forward priorities for responding to this threat.
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Nigeria's Pernicious Drivers of Ethno-Religious Conflict
By Chris Kwaja. Africa Center for Strategic Studies, July 2011.
Nigeria's long-running "indigene-settler" conflict in and around Jos, Plateau State has escalated in recent years and may spread to other ethnically mixed regions of the country, heightening instability. Navigating such inter-communal fault lines is a common challenge for many African societies that requires looking past symptoms to address systemic drivers. In Nigeria, this will entail measures that directly mitigate violence as well as realize constitutional reform.
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