The Potential for Violent Extremist Organizations in Africa to Take Advantage of the COVID-19 Pandemic Crisis in Ungoverned Spaces: The Cases of al-Shabaab and Boko Haram

Abstract

ABSTRACT Under COVID-19 pressures, governments of many fragile African states not only struggle to provide services and help their societies, but they are also to deal with the constant threat violent extremist organizations (VEOs) present. The paper discusses how VEOs exploit this situation to gain local support by using their alternative service provision capabilities, together with the necessary narratives propagating their legitimacy. It offers the examples of al-Shabaab and Boko Haram. The main finding of the analysis is that VEOs managed to utilize the pandemic extremely fast, and proved to be more adaptive to the changing circumstances than their “enemies.”