NRTI Annual Report – FY2018 (October 2017 – September 2018)

The program operates through small-scale, strategically-targeted assistance to local partners in Nigeria, with Creative Associates International implementing NRTI under a task order that continues through November 2018. NRTI's objectives have shifted to offering alternatives to extremist action for vulnerable individuals and increasing community resilience to extremist action. The program clusters include providing positive alternatives for vulnerable individuals, supporting the creation of an effective DDR program, disrupting community entry points for terrorist groups, improving community cohesion and reconciliation, and battling indifference. Potential indicators of success include reduced ISWA influence in the North East, increasing IDP returnees to their communities, increasing secure access to markets and fields in post-conflict areas, decreased Boko Haram attacks, and reducing the ability of ISWA to mount significant large-scale attacks in the country. The security situation in the North East of Nigeria remains a theatre of war, with the fight against insurgent groups gaining strides in 2015. However, Boko Haram and ISWA continue to carry out sporadic attacks in the region, with a rise in the number of attacks on military positions and bases. The Nigerian military has responded with forceful offensives, reclaiming areas previously held by insurgents. The Federal Government of Nigeria, the German Government, Norwegian Government, and the United Nations co-hosted a High Level Conference on the Lake Chad Region in September 2018, with 17 United Nations member states, the European Commission, and other organizations pledging funding for humanitarian and peacebuilding/development activities in the region. In Borno State, significant advances were made against the insurgents, including the military clearance operation in Mairari village in July 2018. However, the state also witnessed a rise in attacks on military bases, resulting in high military casualty figures. In Yobe State, ISWA's attacks have been infrequent yet tactical, with the group carrying out attacks on military bases and facilities. The group's frequent and lethal attacks attest to its established reach into some communities, where tax systems have been erected, recruitment of locals is rife, and sympathy is on the rise. Throughout the state, communities have witnessed a rise in kidnappings for ransom by ISWA, with one notable incident being the abduction of 110 school girls from the Government Girls Technical Science College in Dapchi, Geidam LGA.