North East Regional Initiative: A Lasting Legacy

Monguno, which was sparsely populated before the insurgency, is a major refuge for displaced persons and the largest humanitarian hub outside of Maiduguri. Among its many activities in Monguno, NERI organized a 10-day cash-for- work initiative to engage 100 civilian residents to clear bushes, shrubs and thickets along the perimeter trench, further demonstrating collaboration with the security agencies.

further led the groups in activities in which they could physically participate and work side by side — concrete activities that produced tangible results they could stand back and look at later, such as the addition of streetlights, floodlights and trenches. The decisions about where to place the lights were made cooperatively among residents and police forces, with participants inputting their intelligence regarding insurgent routes, patterns and behaviors. Solar- powered streetlights make it more difficult for insurgents to surprise residents, as well as allow residents to move about more freely after dark, without fear. Digging kilometers of deep trenches that force insurgents to cross only at manned checkpoints helps to protect the residents from late- night raids, during which insurgents would steal supplies and kidnap women and children. Some activities allowed community members and the police to collaborate on projects of mutual benefit. For example, they recruited and paid community members to rebuild the physical barriers at eight Maiduguri LGA checkpoints to make them more secure.

Security forces’ first line of defense against insurgents is at the Yunusari

LGA headquarters in Kanamma, Yobe State, near Niger. Jointly with community leaders and security operatives, NERI identified

strategic locations and installed solar-

powered streetlights that provide greater visibility and discourage insurgent incursions.

28 | NORTH EAST REGIONAL INITIATIVE: A LASTING LEGACY

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