African youth and the growth of violent extremism.

In April 2019, the terrorist group ISIS claimed responsibility for their first attack in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in which eight people were killed in North Kivu province.

This, along with recent attacks in Mozambique, represent a disturbing development in Africa's struggle with violent extremism and terrorism that has previously been the province of countries such as Somalia, Nigeria, Mali and their neighbours who face both direct and spillover effects of violent groups such Al-Shabaab, Boko Haram and Al-Qaeda.

With 60% of Africa's population under 25 years of age, and recruitment efforts by extremist groups focused mainly on youth, it is critical to address the reasons that drive young people toward violent extremism.

In their 2017 study based on interviews with hundreds of voluntary recruits to Al-Shabaab and Boko Haram, the United Nations Development Programme found that the journey to violent extremism is one marked by exclusion and marginalisation, lack of opportunities, and grievances with the state.

About 71% of those interviewed cited government action - the murder or arrest of a family member or friend - as the tipping point for joining a violent extremist group, indicating the limits of militarized counter-terrorism responses by governments.

The message is starting to get through. Organisations working on violent extremism, including such regional bodies as the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), are increasingly shifting from counter-terrorism to a prevention approach.

This runs the spectrum from creating jobs and providing basic services, to more 'soft power' actions that reduce tensions in communities and build trust, such as engaging communities and civil society groups in dialogue, as well as counter-messaging and enforcing human rights standards in interactions by law enforcement actors.

Youth themselves are at the forefront of some of the initiatives to tackle the spread of violent extremism.

The African Union Commission's Interfaith Dialogue on Violent Extremism (iDove), for example, meets with youth activists who already have their established networks as allies. Since 2017...