Convening

Summary

On September 16, 2019, the RESOLVE Network, the U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP), and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) hosted an invitation-only expert roundtable on the topic of Community-based Armed Groups in Sub-Saharan Africa. The roundtable presented recent research findings from three RESOLVE research reports and preliminary analysis from case studies implemented over the past year under the RESOLVE-USAID research initiative on Community-Based Armed Groups in Sub-Saharan Africa. The project aims to provide key stakeholders with contextual knowledge on the dynamics of hybrid security structures, community-based armed groups, and potential approaches to engage, manage, and transform them.

The roundtable covered the strategic implications of the research on community-based armed groups—vigilantes, local security assemblages, auto-defense groups, or other configurations—for political practitioners, law enforcement, military and civilian protection and development agencies, and discuss recommendations for government priorities and international partnerships based on research findings.

The event was under the Chatham House Rule.