Akdeniz Havzası ve Afrika Medeniyetleri Dergisi

Öz

This study aims to critically examine the basic dynamics of joining ISWAP, a radical organization in the Africa-Chad Lake Basin. This recruitment process is analyzed through Randy Borum's four-stage radicalization model.
The African Chad -Lake region has become vulnerable to chronic vulnerability due to colonialism and the negative multiplier effect of climate. The fragile and porous structure of the region has become the focus of terrorist organizations due to internal reasons such as poverty, rising unemployment among the young population, inter-tribal struggle, exclusion by the central authority, military interventions and external reasons such as colonialism. This fragility has accentuated the porous structure of the region and provided a window of opportunity for radical organizations such as ISWAP to deepen and expand within the region. By declaring its existence as the West African representative of DAESH, ISWAP gained the right to exploit DAESH's global network of connections and popularity, allowing the organization to expand into West African states. In conclusion, in order to deepen its influence in the region and increase recruitment, ISWAP has turned the region's problems into a recruitment strategy and used religious arguments as both motivation and legitimization in this process. However, the main basis for joining the organization is based on economic, political and social grounds rather than religious reasons.