Radicalization and Extremism

Armed protests in Charlottesville highlight how the U.S. government has long devoted insufficient resources toward countering domestic far-right movements.

This week: Nazis rekindle a debate on the role of internet intermediaries in policing online content, a government request for Google data, and Facebook in China.

The U.S. far right has learned from the self-declared Islamic State to spread its message of hate online. Fortunately, the neo-Nazi message is less likely to spread offline in the United States.

Welcome to “Women Around the World: This Week,” a series that highlights noteworthy news related to women and U.S. foreign policy. This week’s post, covering from April 1 to April 8, was compiled with support from Anne Connell, and Alyssa Dougherty. UK addresses the gender pay gap Beginning this week, UK companies with more than 250 employees will be compelled by law to review gender pay gaps and make findings public. The new statute—which reaches an estimated 9,000 employers and 15 million employees—requires public, private, and non-governmental sector organizations to disclose average pay for men and women in all positions, as well as the proportion of men and women holding positions within each quartile of the organization’s pay structure. The law is part of a broader government move to address pay equity and advance women’s economic inclusion: the government is also investing £5 million in efforts to encourage women’s return to work after the birth of a child, supporting initiatives to provide 30 hours of free childcare, and promoting flexible leave policies. Justine Greening, Secretary of State for Education and Minister for Women and Equalities, stressed that “helping women to reach their full potential isn’t only the right thing to do, it makes good economic sense and is good for British business.” Boko Haram kidnaps girls in Nigeria Over the past two weeks, Boko Haram has kidnapped twenty-two girls--all aged seventeen or younger—in two separate raids in northern Nigeria. The girls will likely join the thousands of girls and young women who have been forced into slavery, compelled to become brides or fighters, and even carry out suicide attacks, since the insurgency began in 2009. The attackers allegedly belong to a Boko Haram faction led by Abu Musab Al-Barnawi, who replaced former leader Abubakar Shekau.  The recent attack follows the abduction of more than 270 schoolgirls in 2014, which captured international attention and sparked the Bring Back Our Girls campaign. While many girls remain missing, those who have been released or escaped reportedly face significant stigma in their communities upon return, especially if they had children in captivity. Lebanon and Jordan strengthen anti-rape legislation Two Middle Eastern nations have taken steps to toughen laws against rape: in Jordan, following months of deliberation, the Royal Committee for Developing the Judiciary and Enhancing the Rule of Law recommended the elimination of a law allowing perpetrators to escape punishment for rape if they marry their victims. With the approval of Jordanian King Abdullah, the recommendations will move to a vote in parliament in 2017. In neighboring Lebanon, officials moved to abolish a similar loophole in its penal code, following a public campaign launched by Lebanese organization Abaad MENA, to eliminate laws that permit pardons for rape perpetrators who provide a valid marriage contract.

Voices from the Field features contributions from scholars and practitioners highlighting new research, thinking, and approaches to development challenges. This article is authored by Sabrina Karim, an assistant professor of government at Cornell University and U.S. Foreign Policy and International Security Fellow at Dartmouth College, and Kyle Beardsley, an associate professor of political science at Duke University.  Persistent allegations of sexual abuse and exploitation by United Nations peacekeepers threaten to delegitimize peacekeeping operations around the world. This month, UN Secretary General António Guterres called for “a new approach” to prevent sexual exploitation and abuse by United Nations peacekeepers.  Previous Secretaries General have attempted to fix the problem, but have not been successful. In our recent book, Equal Opportunity Peacekeeping, we suggest that any fix to this problem must address the broader gender inequalities within missions.  Missions will be much more effective overall, including in the prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse, when they address gender inequalities in peacekeeping missions. One of our major findings is that when missions  consist of personnel from member states with better records on gender equality, sexual exploitation and abuse allegations are fewer.  This points to the larger culture of gender inequalities in missions as a major culprit in sexual exploitation and abuse. One suggested route to reduce sexual exploitation and abuse has been to emphasize increases in the proportions of female peacekeepers in missions. We find this solution problematic.  For one, the focus is not on changing the culture of peacekeeping missions, but rather on bringing women into missions in which they have little power. Women in peacekeeping missions face rampant discrimination, are confined to particular gendered roles, and their participation is thwarted by “old boys networks” that prevent them from having influence within missions.  Moreover, female peacekeepers are less likely to be deployed to dangerous missions—ones where there are high levels of wartime sexual violence, low GDP, and high levels of battle-related fatalities.  If female peacekeepers are excluded from these missions, they will not be able to affect peacekeeping engagements with the most vulnerable populations.  And, within missions, they are restricted to certain spaces, often unable to help local women. Indeed, the problems of discrimination against women and the relegation of women to safe spaces are major topics in our book. Moreover, our research indicates that female peacekeepers suffer from harassment as well as sexual exploitation and abuse.  Thus, the expectation that female peacekeepers can solve the problem of sexual exploitation and abuse is unrealistic given that they, themselves, face many barriers that prevent them from being able to make any meaningful change in missions. Instead, we argue that reforms that target the culture of peacekeeping missions are better suited to solve the problem of sexual exploitation and abuse.  We propose an alternative model of peacekeeping—equal opportunity peacekeeping.  This includes five areas where large normative shifts are needed. Leadership: No change is possible without strong leadership.  We suggest that leaders for missions (Special Representatives to the Secretary General, Force Commanders and Police Commissioners) be selected with an eye toward gender equality. Recruitment standards: We suggest that the types of recruits for peacekeeping missions can go a long way to improve effectiveness.  Standards should be based off of qualities of which both men and women excel, as well as standards that incorporate beliefs about gender equality. Promotion/demotion: Promotions within missions (such as lucrative placements or medals) can be awarded based off of performance on gender equality. Punishment can also be based on such standards.  As a step forward, the UN has begun to name and shame contributing countries whose personnel receive allegations. Role models, mentors, and networks: One way to improve women’s ability to gain access is to provide them with role models and mentors and to introduce them to different networks.  This allows them to seek advice and gain information in a comfortable setting and to counter “old boys networks.” Training and professionalization: We suggest that training and professionalization be tailored to instill an understanding of the link between gender equality and mission effectiveness.   Within the mission, training and professionalization should be targeted for both men and women equally. The culmination of these changes constitutes equal opportunity peacekeeping.  Thus, if the UN is serious about change, it should consider adopting an equal opportunity peacekeeping model, a model that focuses on larger gender inequalities in missions as a way to ensure that the overall quality of peacekeeping missions improve.  Only then might the reduction of sexual exploitation and abuse in peacekeeping missions be possible.   Learn more in Karim and Beardsley’s new book Equal Opportunity Peacekeeping, published by Oxford University Press in March 2017 >>

At a December 2016 symposium entitled “Women’s Participation in Conflict Prevention and Resolution,” CFR hosted three panel discussions in Washington, DC, with government officials, civil society experts, and military and private sector leaders. Watch the videos or read the transcripts of the discussions on how women’s participation in conflict prevention and resolution advances security interests; countering violent extremism by engaging women; and securing peace by addressing conflict-related sexual violence. The following is an excerpt from the full report of the symposium. “No society has ever successfully transitioned from being a conflict-ridden society to a developing society or better unless women were a part of the mainstream of that society,” retired General John Allen, former commander of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan and former special presidential envoy to the global coalition to counter the self-proclaimed Islamic State (ISIS), recalled telling former Afghan President Hamid Karzai. Research shows that including women in conflict prevention and resolution, as well as in efforts to reduce radicalization and violent extremism, generally leads to more secure peace. Yet despite years of good intentions and international commitments, the broader inclusion of women in conflict resolution is still plagued by obstacles, including a lack of funding, cultural and safety barriers, and a dearth of examples by the countries that most vocally preach the merits of inclusion.   A 27-year-old Yazidi woman, who escaped from captivity by Islamic State militants, is pictured at Sharya refugee camp on the outskirts of Duhok province July 4, 2015. The woman and her sister were taken as prisoners after militants attacked their village in the northern Iraqi province of Mosul. REUTERS/Ari Jala   The growth of the self-proclaimed Islamic State (ISIS), and the group’s reliance on women, has galvanized global attention on the bigger role that women can play in conflict situations, reflected Alaa Murabit of the advocacy group Voice of Libyan Women. But “it should not have taken ISIS using women as recruitment tools for us to say, wait, women have agency in conflict,” Murabit said. “Women are already on the front lines of countering all forms of violence in their communities, whether that be through negotiating ceasefires with proscribed groups [or] working with victims,” reflected Jayne Huckerby, director of the International Human Rights Clinic at Duke University School of Law. She suggested the more important question is “how we can be supportive of those particular efforts” and draw on them in broader diplomatic and security work. As Allen reflected, it is critical to “empower civil society, give them a voice, and provide them funding and support, and sometimes physically provide them security . . . [because] solving the problems by military means is never going to do it. We’re going to be fighting forever.” He advised future administrations to marshal women’s leadership to make a difference at the “ground level,” in order to “defeat the circumstances that can change a young man or woman’s views, to radicalize them, and make them ultimately susceptible to extremist recruitment.” Similar strategies are needed to address and prevent conflict-related sexual violence. Princeton Lyman, former U.S. special envoy to Sudan and South Sudan, suggested that “to address violence and to prevent sexual violence requires empowering local women. Where women are organized and nonviolent in major ways, they have an impact.”   Military personnel walk past women in Tabit village in North Darfur, Sudan. The joint peacekeeping mission in the region known as UNAMID visited Tabit in November 2014 to investigate media reports of an alleged mass rape of 200 women and girls (Courtesy Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah/Reuters).   A number of obstacles limits women’s ability to participate in peace and security processes. In many cases, the failure by Western governments or international organizations to include women in their delegations, military command, or police forces—not to mention in their own politics—can undermine the message that women’s inclusion is important. Murabit suggested that “leading by example is probably step number one.” Another obstacle is physical and cultural barriers. Those promoting the inclusion of women should do more to protect them when they speak out, participants said. Lyman called for UN peacekeepers to “protect people who want to stand up,” as they have conspicuously failed to do in South Sudan. Donor countries and international organizations, some panelists noted, often harmfully dismiss a lack of local women’s participation by blaming so-called cultural differences. Involving women will, in some cases, require jettisoning cultural barriers that excuse the sidelining of women, panelists said. Finally, money talks. U.S. government financing could be used as a lever, such as making financial assistance conditional on recipient countries boosting women’s inclusion in peacemaking and peacekeeping. Allen advocated making Defense Department money available for State Department–run programs, such as those that help women fight radicalization, thereby funding “the solution that fits the need.” Given limits on what the government can do, there is a need for a greater effort from society at large, especially private-sector financial assistance, said Adnan Kifayat, a former advisor to the Department of Homeland Security on violent extremism and head of Global Security Ventures with the Gen Next Foundation. Society needs to “stand up . . . all the elements of national power,” Kifayat advised. That includes investing in the contributions that women make to preventing conflict and extremism around the world. Because, in the twenty-first century, unleashing the potential of 50 percent of the world’s population is not just the right thing to do—it is a strategic imperative to advance national security. Read the full CFR Symposium Report>>

President Donald Trump’s decision to suspend refugee admissions to the United States and block the citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries has been criticized as a violation of longstanding U.S. law and an abdication of fundamental American values. Although administration officials argue that the policy will help further American security interests, many experts believe it will do the opposite – handing extremists a powerful recruitment tool and alienating allies in the fight against terrorism. The new refugee policy aligns with Trump’s promise to make U.S. national security and foreign policy more unpredictable. But as the president develops a new strategy to defeat the self-proclaimed Islamic State group, he should not introduce unconventional approaches that betray bedrock American principles and bolster our enemies. Instead, if Trump wants to shake things up in his effort to safeguard American citizens against terrorism, he should rely upon the inclusion of a group that is often overlooked but is of substantial strategic value: women. According to our recent Council on Foreign Relations report, research shows that women are well-positioned to detect early signs of radicalization because their rights and physical integrity are often the first targets of fundamentalists. A qualitative analysis of 30 countries across the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia found that women were substantially more likely than men to be early victims of extremism. Indeed, restrictions on women’s rights have accompanied the rise of extremist groups – particularly those with fundamentalist religious ideologies – across the globe, as has been documented with the Taliban in Afghanistan, Boko Haram in Nigeria and the self-proclaimed Islamic State group. Women’s central roles in many families and communities also afford them a unique vantage point from which to recognize unusual patterns of behavior and signs of impending conflict, such as arms mobilization and weapons caching. In Kosovo, for example, women were the first in their communities to voice concerns when young men were amassing weapons, heading into the local hills and training. Indeed, Kosovar women reported signs of impending conflict well before violence broke out; however, because no adequate reporting systems were in place to make use of their insights, their concerns went unheeded. Read the full article in U.S. News and World Report >>

Welcome to “Women Around the World: This Week,” a series that highlights noteworthy news related to women and U.S. foreign policy. This week’s post, covering from January 26 to February 6, was compiled with support from Becky Allen, Anne Connell, and Alyssa Dougherty. Trump administration order affects women and children refugees The U.S. State Department revealed last week that over 60,000 visas were revoked as a result of President Trump’s executive order banning travel to the U.S. from seven predominantly Muslim countries and barring refugee admissions for 120 days. Those affected include tens of thousands of women and children, who comprise 72 percent of all refugees and over 78 percent of Syrian refugees resettled in the U.S. in 2016.  Studies confirm that refugee women and children are at significant risk and experience high incidence of rape, forced prostitution, child marriage, and trafficking.  Refugee admissions to the U.S. have temporarily resumed, following a stay of the administration’s executive order issued in federal district court; however, a pending government appeal has left the future of the U.S. refugee resettlement program uncertain. Turks and Caicos elects first female premier The island territory of Turks and Caicos has set a regional precedent for women’s political leadership by electing the first female premier in its history, Sharlene Cartwright-Robinson of the People’s Democratic Movement party. Campaigning on issues of open, transparent governance and social justice, she beat out an initial pool of fifty-two other candidates to reach the post. Women in Turks and Caicos also hold several other top government positions, including deputy governor, attorney general, chief justice, chief magistrate, director of public prosecutions, and five of seven permanent secretaries. Turks and Caicos now leads the region in representation of women in executive and cabinet-level government positions, though a number of Caribbean nations—including Bermuda, Dominica, and Guyana—have also strengthened policies to promote women’s leadership in recent years. Austria bans face-covering veils Austria is the latest European country to propose a ban on full face-covering veils in public spaces, a move by the ruling coalition responsive to the anti-immigrant far-right populist parties that nearly claimed the presidency in 2016. The ban is largely symbolic in nature, with reports suggesting that as few as 150 women would be affected, given that most practicing Muslims in Austria have Turkish or Balkan roots where full veils are less prevalent. Austria’s new policy is similar to bans on the niqab and burqa introduced by France and Belgium in 2011, and a partial ban introduced in the Netherlands in 2015. German Chancellor Angela Merkel has also voiced support for a similar policy in recent months, asserting that “the full veil is not appropriate here, [and] should be forbidden wherever legally possible.” Following Austria’s announcement this week, Ibrahim Olgun, president of Austria’s Islamic Faith Community, openly criticized the policy, stressing that it undermines women’s freedom and injures the relationship between the Austrian government and Muslim communities. Thousands of people took to Vienna’s streets this week to protest the new legislation.      

Welcome to “Women Around the World: This Week,” a series that highlights noteworthy news related to women and U.S. foreign policy. This week’s post, covering from December 11 to December 19, was compiled with support from Becky Allen, Anne Connell, and Lauren Hoffman. Civilians face horrors in Aleppo Tens of thousands of civilians face grave danger as forces supporting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad attempt to take decisive control of the city of Aleppo, which has been a battleground in the fight between the regime and armed opposition groups. The months-long siege on the city has limited access to food and water, cut off electric generators, and damaged hospitals, decimating emergency maternal and infant health care services. As of Monday, after days of sporadic violence, around 20,000 people had been evacuated from eastern Aleppo. At the United Nations (UN), outgoing Secretary General Ban Ki-moon confirmed credible reports of atrocities, including extrajudicial killings, committed against “a large number of civilians” prior to evacuations. Other officials cited reports that pro-government forces summarily executed at least eleven women and thirteen children, and expressed concerns over the possibility for widespread sexual violence after the city falls. Over a quarter of a million people have been killed since the conflict began in 2011. Boko Haram deploys children suicide bombers Two young girls were allegedly used by the militant Islamist Boko Haram group as suicide bombers in a bustling market in northeast Nigeria last week. The girls, thought to be seven or eight years old, killed themselves and one other person and wounded eighteen individuals in the detonations. Just days before, another pair of female suicide bombers killed at least forty-five people in a similar market attack.  This follows yet another incident in October in which a female suicide bomber detonated explosives near a camp for internally displaced people. The series of attacks illustrate Boko Haram’s increasing reliance on women and children as suicide bombers: since 2014, nearly one-fifth of all suicide bombers used by Boko Haram have been children, of which 75 percent have been girls. The trend has led to increased suspicion of displaced girls, who are themselves often victims of Boko Haram violence and coercion. Ayo Obe, vice chairperson of the International Crisis Group board of trustees, argues that the Nigerian government should increase efforts to support isolated women and girls through gender-sensitive programming and access to schooling. Women in the U.S. Selective Service President Obama announced his support for women’s registration for the Selective Service, reversing his administration’s previous neutrality on the issue. Current requirements stipulate that only male U.S. citizens and immigrants between the ages of 18 and 25 must register. Obama is the first president since Jimmy Carter to endorse universal draft registration. A Pentagon spokesperson confirmed the Defense Department’s support for the proposition, characterizing universal draft registration as a logical extension of the military’s recent decision to open combat positions to women, which Defense Secretary Ashton Carter suggested would help to address 21st century security challenges. Last week, however, Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Robert Neller said that the Pentagon’s move to integrate women into combat positions may be reviewed and possibly repealed if requested by the president-elect.

Welcome to “Women Around the World: This Week,” a series that highlights noteworthy news related to women and U.S. foreign policy. This week’s post, covering from November 18 to November 24, was compiled with support from Becky Allen and Anne Connell. Violence against women in Turkey Turkey’s parliament introduced and then quickly withdrew legislation last week that would have pardoned men convicted of raping underage girls if they married their victims. Turkey’s government said the proposed amnesty would have applied to at least 3,800 men currently in prison due to crimes committed against young women and girls. The bill, proposed by Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), generated nationwide public protests by women across Turkish society and underscored international fears about regression of human rights in the country.  The legislation prompted condemnation by the United Nations, with officials noting that the bill, if passed, would “create a perception of impunity in favor of perpetrators of such child rights violations.” Human rights groups also argued that the proposal would legitimize the practice of child marriage, which persists with especially high rates in rural areas: data collected last year found that fifteen percent of all Turkish marriages involved one partner under the legal age of consent.  After a national outcry, the bill was sent back to a parliamentary subcommittee for revision. Abuse of civilians in Mosul Hundreds of women who fled Mosul for aid camps have shared new reports of violence and repression suffered under the rule of the self-proclaimed Islamic State. The women are among the more than 50,000 civilians who have fled Mosul since U.S.-supported Iraqi and Kurdish forces launched an offensive to retake the city last month. Dozens of women in the camps recounted living like prisoners in Mosul for more than two years under a system that forced them to abandon higher education, quit jobs, comply with a strict dress code, and suffer public lashings. “The message was that women were not wholly human—they need a male guardian for everything,” said one sixteen-year-old survivor who attended an Islamic State-run high school. Other women were compelled to join the Khansaa Brigade, the all-female morality police tasked with enforcing extremists’ harsh policies. Some women, particularly those from the persecuted Yazidi religious group, were held in captivity and forced into marriages. U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power lauded the courage of these women, stressing that their “resilience [is] remarkable” despite the horrific conditions they faced. HIV/AIDS prevalence in Africa A new UNAIDS report suggests that the rate of HIV/AIDS infection among young African women is alarmingly high and likely to rise. While the number of HIV-infected people taking anti-retroviral (ARV) medicines around the world has doubled in just five years, adolescent girls in southern Africa are one demographic group that has been left behind. Data show that in southern Africa, girls aged between 15 and 19 years old account for 90 percent of all new HIV infections among adolescents; in eastern Africa, they represent 74 percent of new infections. The report found that preventing infection is particularly difficult in this age group, as girls are often unaware they are at risk and lack autonomous access to education and health services. UNAIDS chief Michel Sidibe suggested at the report’s launch that adolescent girls face a triple threat: “They are at high risk of HIV infection, have low rates of HIV testing, and have poor adherence to treatment. The world is failing young women and we urgently need to do more.”

The U.S. House of Representatives just signaled its commitment to women and girls globally. It took a historic step last week by passing the Women, Peace, and Security Act (H.R. 5332), which pledges that the United States act as a “global leader” in advancing the participation of women in preventing and resolving conflicts. The bipartisan legislation would require the United States to develop a government-wide strategy—including new efforts to train its personnel, consult with stakeholders on the ground, and coordinate with partners—in order to increase women’s participation in peace and security processes. As research shows, these steps would help the United States increase the effectiveness of its own security efforts and would set an example for others, contributing to more durable peace and security processes around the world. The House’s commitment reflects a growing body of research suggesting that the inclusion of women in peace and security processes could reduce conflict and improve stability. For example, one study found that peace agreements are 35 percent more likely to last at least 15 years when women participate in negotiations. At a hearing in March, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce (R-CA), reflected on “the lives saved and economies maintained by a 35 percent decrease in repeated conflicts,” adding that, “simply put, when women are at the negotiating table, success is more likely.” Her Excellency Monica McWilliams, Irish peace activist; Hassan Abbas, professor at the National Defense University; and Jacqueline O’Neill, director of The Institute for Inclusive Security, offer testimony at a March 2015 House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing "Women Fighting for Peace: Lessons for Today’s Conflicts." Inclusive Security/Allison Muehlenbeck A recent Council on Foreign Relations publication, How Women’s Participation in Conflict Prevention and Resolution Advances U.S. Interests, presents the quantitative and qualitative evidence for this claim. From moderating violent extremism to negotiating peace agreements to making security forces more effective, women provide distinct contributions that improve peace and security processes. Research shows that women successfully disseminate antiterrorism messages throughout families and communities, and that, when they serve as security sector officials, they have access to venues and populations that men do not, allowing them to gather additional intelligence on security risks. Research also shows that, when women were involved in a negotiation process, parties were more likely to initiate talks and reach an agreement, and that, when women participate politically and socially in post-conflict societies, the chance of conflict relapse is diminished. While more and more international leaders recognize women’s roles in security, female participation in peace and security processes remains low. Women served as less than 4 percent of signatories to peace agreements and 9 percent of negotiators between 1992 and 2011, and, in 2015, represented only 3 percent of UN military peacekeepers and 10 percent of UN police personnel. In the U.S. government, women represent 20 percent of the Defense Department’s officer corps, but hold less than 10 percent of leadership positions. Meanwhile, they represent one-third of senior foreign service officers at the State Department, and hold nearly half of mid- and senior-level management positions at USAID. With research showing that standard peacemaking methods would more effectively address current security challenges if women are included, promoting the participation of women in conflict prevention and resolution merits a higher place on the U.S. agenda. The House-passed Women, Peace, and Security Act would do just that. The bill was reintroduced in June with bipartisan support by Congresswoman Kristi Noem (R-SD), Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce (R-CA), and Foreign Affairs Committee Ranking Member Eliot Engel (D-NY). If enacted into law, it would require the president to submit a government-wide strategy (which would build on the existing National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security), and to report regularly on progress. It would also require U.S. defense, diplomatic, and development personnel to receive training on effective strategies and best practices to ensure the meaningful participation of women in peace and security processes. In addition, U.S. personnel overseas would be required to consult with local women leaders and other stakeholders on peace and security, and to coordinate with partners across foreign governments and intergovernmental bodies to advance these goals. It is now up to the Senate to help make the Women, Peace, and Security Act into law. The conversation is underway, with a similar bill introduced in January by Senators Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Mark Kirk (R-IL), and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH). Urgent action is required if the bill is to pass during this session. Successive Republican and Democratic administrations have recognized that women’s participation in security efforts advances stability at home and abroad. Congress is now signaling that it considers women’s participation in peace and security to be a central component of U.S. foreign policy. If Congress passes the Women, Peace, and Security Act, it would position the United States to make smarter investments in preventing conflict and building peace, and thereby save lives and resources around the world.  

Below is a visualization and description of some of the most significant incidents of political violence in Nigeria from November 12, 2016 to November 18, 2016. This update also represents violence related to Boko Haram in Cameroon, Chad, and Niger. These incidents will be included in the Nigeria Security Tracker. var divElement = document.getElementById(’viz1480358272535’); var vizElement = divElement.getElementsByTagName(’object’)[0]; vizElement.style.width=’100%’;vizElement.style.height=(divElement.offsetWidth*0.75)+’px’; var scriptElement = document.createElement(’script’); scriptElement.src = ’https://public.tableau.com/javascripts/api/viz_v1.js’; vizElement.parentNode.insertBefore(scriptElement, vizElement); November 13: Herdsmen killed thirty-one in Kauru, Kaduna. November 14: Nigerian police clashed with Shi’ites in Kano Municipal, Kano, resulting in the deaths of one policeman and eight civilians. November 14: Boko Haram killed nine in Monguno, Borno. November 14: Boko Haram ambushed Nigerian troops in Gwoza, Borno, killing two soldiers. November 15: Boko Haram killed thirteen in Monguno, Borno. November 18: Four Boko Haram suicide bombers killed themselves and two CJTF members in Maiduguri, Borno. November 18: Armed bandits killed twenty-nine in Maradun, Zamfara. November 18: Armed bandits killed two policemen and four cilivians, and kidnapped forty in Maru, Zamfara.