The effect of regional cooperatin on the development and security of border areas (Case study: Boko Haram in the Nigerian-Cameroon border region)

In recent years, the emergence and complex connections of terrorist groups in Africa have become a growing concern at the national, regional , and even international levels. In this regard, these groups often reinforce conflicts and instability between border countries based on religious, political ,or economic motives, gaining power, territory , and control of innocent people. The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of the Boko Haram terrorist group on the development and security of the Nigerian-Cameroon border region in answering the question: What are the factors affecting the destabilizing activities and security threats in the Boko Haram region along the Cameroon-Nigeria border in West Africa? The present study, which has a descriptive-analytical nature and the required data and information collected in a library method in the form of the postcolonial theory of border studies, is based on the hypothesis that Boko Haram can take advantage of factors and areas such as marginalization. Poverty, corruption, injustice, the failure of the federal government, and permeable borders to exert control and power over the region impose a very extremist approach to Islam in parts of northern Cameroon, Nigeria, southern Chad, and Niger. The results showed that benefiting from the strategy of cooperation and concluding defense agreements between border countries while strengthening regional security and supporting fragile economic bases can be effective in deterring and reducing future attacks and terrorists so that governments have border states. They must commit to strategic cooperation treaties and establish long-term border security arrangements to curb the expansionist plans of groups such as Boko Haram.