The purpose of this paper is to identify the radical Islamist ideas that motivate domestic groups to initiate popular movements in some fragile and conflict-affected states in sub-Saharan Africa, such as Sudan, Nigeria and Chad. The paper also explores the extent to which modern communication technologies help spread these ideas among Islamists in these states. Furthermore, it evaluates existing policy responses and makes recommendations for the policy community in order to better enable weak and conflict-affected states to counter radical Islamist ideas and shield their Muslim communities from discord among themselves and with other religious communities.