No Opportunity Lost: The ISWAP Insurgency in the Changing Climate of Lake Chad Region

Abstract

abstract:Boko Haram spin-off Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) has entrenched itself in the Lake Chad Region. In an area direly affected by climate change and counterproductive government policies aimed at disrupting ISWAP's activities, the terrorist insurgency is proving its resilience and adaptability by adjusting its strategies and recruiting among the local population. This article shows that the impact of climate change is exacerbating already-precarious livelihoods in the Lake Chad Region and argues that government failures as well as ISWAP's break from Boko Haram's nihilistic methods have combined to create an opportunity for terrorists to resurge by capitalizing on rising and justifiable local grievances. The result is a lesson for governments not to ignore the impact of climate change in the greater security paradigm of the nation.