Transitional justice: Testing the waters in the Lake Chad Basin

The report examines the applicability of transitional justice in the Lake Chad Basin (LCB), noting that while the region is not yet post-conflict, there is a need for mechanisms to address mass human rights abuses. It finds that LCB countries are at different stages of conceptualising these tools and that a balance between restorative and retributive justice is necessary. The document highlights the importance of local ownership, the role of traditional and religious conflict resolution mechanisms, and the need to address root causes of violent extremism such as structural inequalities.

• Countries within the Lake Chad Basin are at varying stages of developing and conceptualising transitional justice tools, necessitating a regional approach that still allows for country-specific models tailored to national peculiarities.
• There is a general preference among interviewed community members for restorative justice over retributive justice, largely due to the administrative and structural failures of domestic judicial systems in the LCB.
• Transitional justice is frequently misunderstood by community members as being synonymous with disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration (DDR) processes, specifically as a means for the outright reintegration of Boko Haram associates.
• The timing for implementing transitional justice varies by country and community based on the conflict cycle; some areas in Cameroon show signs of a post-intervention phase, while Nigeria faces complexities due to the lack of a cessation of hostilities.
• Traditional and religious mechanisms are viewed as legitimate and effective alternatives to formal courts, such as the use of the Qur'an for oaths of non-recidivism in Cameroon, the 'diah' practice in Chad, and 'sulhu' mediation in Nigeria.
• A transitional justice framework alone is insufficient to resolve the crisis; state institutions must also address the root causes of violent extremism, including structural inequalities and the inequitable management of resources.

APA

Olojo, A., & Mahdi, M. (2022). Transitional justice: Testing the waters in the Lake Chad Basin. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/WAR-39.pdf

Chicago

Olojo, Akinola, and Maram Mahdi. Transitional justice: Testing the waters in the Lake Chad Basin. Institute for Security Studies, 2022. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/WAR-39.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Olojo |first1=Akinola |last2=Mahdi |first2=Maram |title=Transitional justice: Testing the waters in the Lake Chad Basin |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=April 2022 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/WAR-39.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{olojo2022transitional, author = {Olojo, Akinola and Mahdi, Maram}, title = {{Transitional justice: Testing the waters in the Lake Chad Basin}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2022}, month = apr, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/WAR-39.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }