Countering violent extremism in the Horn of Africa

As one of the most conflict-ridden regions in the world, the Horn of Africa remains highly vulnerable to violent extremism. With the prevalence of structural conditions conducive to radicalisation and the proliferation of terrorist activities across the region, the need to bolster multilateral responses for countering violent extremist (CVE) is urgent. As part of the outreach and consultation process for the EU Global Strategy on Foreign and Security Policy (EUGS), the EUISS and the Netherlands Presidency of the Council of the EU organised a conference on 26 February 2016 to assess the current multilateral approaches to CVE in the Horn of Africa. Regional experts and officials came together to identify context-specific root causes of radicalisation and formulate policy recommendations to address socio-economic marginalisation, environmental degradation and poor governance in the region.