Negotiating with jihadists? Assessing risks and opportunities
Wednesday 8 May 2024, 10.00-12.30
DIIS ∙ Danish Institute for International Studies
Gl. Kalkbrænderi Vej 51A
2100 Copenhagen
Civil wars with jihadist groups linked to al-Qaeda or the Islamic State (IS) appear resistant against peace negotiations. Existing research has raised various explanations for this pattern. The jihadists’ religious agenda, their repressive approach towards governance and their transnational organisational networks have been raised as obstacles.
On the other hand, governments have been criticised for refusing to acknowledge the political dimensions of the underlying conflicts and for hindering the work of third-party peacemaking actors. Notwithstanding these obstacles, calls for peace negotiations with jihadist groups continue to be raised, especially in the Sahel region, but also in other parts of sub-Saharan Africa, including Somalia and Mozambique.
But what are the perspectives for such negotiations to actually take place in the foreseeable future, and what steps would be necessary in this regard? Moreover, how could political settlements with jihadists look like, and what place could the state offer to them in a post-conflict order? This DIIS seminar invites experts on different jihadist conflicts to gather potential explanations to these questions.
Programme
10.00-10.10 Introduction, Dino Krause
10.10-10.35 Learning lessons from the Syrian context, Jerome Drevon
10.35-11.00 The Sahel, Bakary Sambe
11.00-11.10 Break
11.10-11.35 Mozambique, Salvador Forquilha
11.35-12.00 Somalia, Harmonie Toros
12.00-12.30 Q&A
Practical information
The seminar will be held in English. Participation is free of charge but registration is required via our registration form.