The first study of UNDP’s new series on Preventing Violent Extremism examines recruitment strategies employed by armed groups in borderland communities, as well as attitudes towards violent extremist groups and their associated values. By shedding light on popular perceptions, the study highlights common trends across the borderlands and provides a granular understanding of challenges. It also provides new data and analysis on the prevalence and severity of the drivers for violent extremism in selected regions of the Southern Libya borderlands. The study offers policy and programmatic recommendations for strategic coordination, early action, and responses to address structural issues and pull factors of violent extremism and to build resilience across communities in cross-border areas in Chad, Libya, Niger, Nigeria, and Sudan.