Brothers in Arms? Vigilantism and Ambivalent State Responses in West Africa

Abstract

A rich literature has argued for a nuanced and empirically grounded understanding of the incentives, roles, and practices of non-state actors in hybrid security governance. But what are the effects of state engagement with such actors? This article takes a state-centered approach to the ambiguities of vigilantism, exploring how state- and non-state actors operate as brothers in arms to forward their own interests and agendas. The analysis builds on long-term research engagement with three West African country cases, and centers on secondary data on official state responses to vigilantism and the contradictory practices of both state and non-state actors.