Building on the individual testimony of over 2,000 respondents (including the perspectives of former members of violent extremism groups), the UNDP follow-up study to the flagship “Journey to Extremism in Africa” report (2017), is the most extensive study yet on what drives people to violent extremism. With roughly three times the number of interviews in the earlier study, across eight countries (Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Somalia, Sudan), it deepens our understanding of the pathways that young men and women follow to join violent extremism groups, from the upbringing to the brink of recruitment, 'the tipping point’, while further situating these findings in relation to the changing nature of violent extremism in sub-Saharan Africa and efforts to counter or prevent its spread.

This study also delves deeper into triggers for disengagement, towards the ultimate ‘turning point’ where individuals decide to surrender or apply for amnesty. It also includes a larger cohort of female interviewees, allowing a better understanding of gendered nuances related to recruitment and disengagement — often overlooked in policy and programming to prevent violent extremism.