International law and global policy place counter-terrorism firmly within a rule of law and human rights framework. By focussing on securitised responses to terrorism, countries in West Africa risk undermining the rule of law, compromising human rights protections and slowing progress towards their peace and development agendas. Shifting to a criminal justice approach to countering terrorism has various challenges, but will most effectively protect and promote peace and security, human rights and development in the long term.
