Interreligious dialogue in counteracting violent extremism in Africa
The Club of Lisbon organised, with the collaboration of KAICIID and in partnership with academic institutions from four Universities – Coimbra, Évora, Minho and Autonomous of Lisbon – a seminar series for reflection and dialogue on the instrumentalisation of religion to justify violence on the African continent.
The seminars took place between November 2024 and April 2025 and focused on four case-studies: Nigeria, Mozambique, Kenya and the Central African Republic. Key international and national stakeholders shared their views on the role of interreligious dialogue in conflict resolution and preventing violent extremism. The seminars contributed to reinforce awareness, reflection and sharing on peacebuilding on the African continent and on ways to effectively counter extremist narratives that incite to violence.
Nigeria
22.11.2024 | University of Coimbra
Mozambique
03.12.2024 | University of Évora
Kenia
13.03.2025 | University of Minho
Central African Republic
30.04.2025 | Autonomous University of Lisbon
In addition to the analysis of the specificities of each country in terms of conflict dynamics and peacebuilding, some shared points were identified regarding interreligious collaboration in countering violent extremism in Africa:
- The root causes of violent extremism are rarely linked to religion, which has been instrumentalised to generate divisions and conflicts.
- External actors and regional linkages are important elements in both countering and fuelling conflicts and extremism.
- Inclusive governance, effective community engagement, education and in-depth work
with young people are crucial to prevent and combat violent extremism. - Strengthening religious literacy and intra- and interfaith dialogues is paramount for preventing extremism and building peace