Brief
- Mauritania takes over the presidency of G5S
- Seeks to employ some of her national security objectives to the region to fend of jihadists
- The country has not experienced a terror attack since 2011 despite being in a region that has a heavy presence of terrorism.
- Strategies include: Unity, military spending, border policies, psyops, economic factors
Mauritania this week took the presidency of the G5 Sahel forces that rotates amongst the five countries in the region; Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, Chad, and Mauritania. The country has not had any terror attacks since 2011 and as such the country spearheading counterterrorism efforts in the Sahel has been received with optimism and high expectations that would tackle jihadists in the region.
The capability of Mauritania to fend off terrorists in its country has been largely attributed to specific security strategies that have proven effective not only in the short term but seemingly lasting seeing as the country has enjoyed a decade without attacks despite being located in the volatile Sahel.
- Unity Against common enemy – between 2005 and 2010 the question of terrorists being active in Mauritania was not a matter of if but rather when based on the increasing number of radical individuals that sought to import the ideology from neighboring Mali. However, former President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz led a coup and was later elected as president which in essence gave the country stability to fight the growing Jihadi threat.
- Military spending increase and boost military morale and competence – the president being a former general implemented changes withing the military that provided better equipment, and soldiers’ pay was paid directly into the bank and with social benefit boosting the morale of the soldiers. Additionally, increased military budgets facilitated training and retaining soldiers.
- Border policing– with retention of troops, the military has been able to bolster security along the border. Dozens of checkpoints have been installed on every major highway, and a huge buffer region bordering Mali has been classified as a “military zone” barred to civilians.
- Psyops and deradicalization– the country has embarked on deradicalization drives especially among the youths as well as involve religious leaders in molding vulnerable youths in the country. Since 2010, youths are offered vocational training after they left Islamic schools, giving them the chance of earning a living.
- Economic factors – Mauritania has boosted the security and ideological measures with economic strategies that have seen spurred economic activities in places susceptible to terrorism. Towns were erected on the desert in places like Nbeiket Lahwach, Termessa, Bouratt and Chami that cater to the nomadic populations that are vulnerable and that felt neglected by the state and as such dissuading radical inclinations stemming from anger.
Insight
While the strategies appear specific to Mauritania, the G5S countries can borrow from the country that has shown to deter and even seemingly prevent mass radicalization and terrorist organizations. The Sahel countries ought to employ domestic strategy changes and limit international, military intervention to deal with the already sprouted menace and instead focus on strategies that decapitate the terrorist groups’ source of new fighters by ideologically dissuading the youth of the countries. Additionally, despite the nations being in the poorest-country-bracket military morale boost and enhanced public-government collaboration could adequately track and nab elusive terrorists.
It is important to note that terrorism is not entirely a national security issue, it is multi-faceted and as such solutions ought to reflect the nature of the problem. Countries within the G5 can quite adequately craft solutions that address national security, ideological drift and or difference as well as economic solutions that could discourage the spread of radical and violent activities.
