CHALLENGES OF REGIONAL PEACEBUILDING IN THE LAKE CHAD BASIN AREA

The Lake Chad Basin Area is witnessing one of the world’s most devastating humanitarian crises. This humanitarian crisis, which manifests in the form of deaths, displacements and other forms of human rights violations, provided the basis for regional efforts towards containment. The Jama’atul Ahlis-Sunna Liddaawati Wal Jihad (JAS), popularly known as Boko Haram is principally responsible for this act of terrorism. Originally established as vehicles for achieving economic development, the spate of violent conflicts witnessed in Africa in the early 1990a, saw a major shift in the focus of Regional Economic Communities (RECs) from economic issues to security and stability. This shift is premised on the notion that the realization of economic development is highly dependent on security and stability. This paper examines the challenge of regional peacebuilding in the Lake Chad Basin Area, with specific reference to regional efforts against Boko Haram. The paper argues that regional peacebuilding initiatives constitute the building blocks of regional security in Africa