Research Fellow
Dr. Daniel Eizenga is a Research Fellow responsible for conducting policy-relevant research advancing understanding of pressing security challenges facing Africa. Dr. Eizenga’s research primarily focuses on countering violent extremism in the Sahel and the intersecting roles of civil-military relations, traditional institutions, and civil society across various regime trajectories of African states. He has published his work in a variety of academic and policy outlets and regularly offers expert interviews to the media.
Prior to joining the Africa Center, Dr. Eizenga was a postdoctoral fellow with the Centre FrancoPaix at the Université du Québec à Montréal and a research associate with the Sahel Research Group based at the University of Florida. He has presented his research to and collaborated with several academic and government institutions in both the United States and Canada, including the Canadian Forces College, the Joint Special Operations University, Special Operations Command Africa, the Royal Military College in St. Jean, Québec, the George C. Marshall Center, the United States Institute of Peace, and Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center at the Presidio in Monterey. He also contributes regularly to academic conferences.
Dr. Eizenga holds a Ph.D. and an M.A. in political science with specializations in African studies from the University of Florida, as well as a B.A. in international development studies with a minor in African studies from Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Areas of Expertise
Civil-Military Relations, Countering Violent Extremism, Democratization, Sahel
Briefing
As Security Crisis Deepens, Burkina Faso’s Junta Turns to Repression
World Politics Review, July 30, 2024
Africa Security Brief
Recalibrating Coastal West Africa’s Response to Violent Extremism
Africa Center for Strategic Studies, July 22, 2024
Essay
“Military Juntas Accelerating Destabilization in the Sahel,” in Africa Year in Review 2023
Wilson Center, January 31, 2024
Spotlight
Chad’s Constitutional Referendum Promises a Transition without Change—or Stability
Africa Center for Strategic Studies, November 28, 2023
Infographic
Burkina Faso Crisis Continues to Spiral
Africa Center for Strategic Studies, August 29, 2023
Infographic
Mali Catastrophe Accelerating under Junta Rule
Africa Center for Strategic Studies, July 10, 2023
Infographic
Malian Military Junta Scuttles Security Partnerships while Militant Violence Surges
Africa Center for Strategic Studies, February 27, 2023
Spotlight
“Non-Transition” Orchestrated by Chad’s Military Government Goes Awry
Africa Center for Strategic Studies, November 15, 2022
Spotlight
Understanding Burkina Faso’s Latest Coup
Africa Center for Strategic Studies, October 28, 2022
Infographic
Five Zones of Militant Islamist Violence in the Sahel
Africa Center for Strategic Studies, September 26, 2022
Infographic
Mali’s Militant Islamist Insurgency at Bamako’s Doorstep
Africa Center for Strategic Studies, August 29, 2022
Infographic
Debunking the Malian Junta’s Claims
Africa Center for Strategic Studies, April 12, 2022
Article
A Crucial Moment in Chad’s Transition
ISPI, December 17, 2021
Op-Ed
Walking Back the Coup in Guinea
The Conversation, September 17, 2021
Blogpost
What would bring stability after the death of Chad’s president?
Monkey Cage Blog, June 1, 2021
Spotlight
Chad’s Ongoing Instability, the Legacy of Idriss Déby
Africa Center for Strategic Studies, May 3, 2021
Article
Burkina Faso: Military Responses to Popular Pressures
Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Politics, March 2021
Africa Security Brief
The Puzzle of JNIM and Militant Islamist Groups in the Sahel
Africa Center for Strategic Studies, December 1, 2020
Op-Ed
Mali Coup Offers Lessons in Democracy Building—but Junta Must Go
La principale leçon en construction de la démocratie du coup d’État au Mali : la junte doit partir
The Hill, September 18, 2020
Op-Ed
Mali: Beware the ‘Popular’ Coup
Attention au coup d’État “populaire”
AllAfrica.com, August 31, 2020
Spotlight
Chad’s Escalating Fight against Boko Haram
Africa Center for Strategic Studies, April 20, 2020
Book Chapter
“Authoritarian Resilience in the Face of Democratic Pressures” in Oxford Handbook of the African Sahel. Leonardo A. Villalón, ed.
Forthcoming 2020
Book Chapter
“The Undoing of a Semi-Authoritarian Regime: The Term Limit Debate and the Fall of Blaise Compaoré in Burkina Faso” in The Politics of Presidential Term Limits in Africa: Power Struggles and Implications. Jack Mangala. ed.
Forthcoming 2020
Article
“Grappling with Sahelian Insecurity” in West Africa Insight, Vol. 6 No. 5
Open Society Initiative for West Africa, 2019
Paper
Long Term Trends across Security and Development in the Sahel
OECD Publishing, 2019
Book Chapter
“Burkina Faso” in Africa Yearbook, Volume 15. John Abbink, Victor Adetula, Andreas Mehler, and Henning Melber, eds.
2019
Article
Troubling Times in Burkina Faso
Africa Is Not a Country, October 23, 2019
Commentary
The Current State of Insecurity in Burkina Faso
Italian Center for International Political Studies, September 9, 2019
Article
« Que fait l’armée américaine au Sahel? »
Grand Dossiers de Diplomatie, April 2019
Article
“The Deteriorating Security Situation in Burkina Faso”
« La détérioration de la situation sécuritaire au Burkina Faso »Bulletin FrancoPaix, March 2019
Research Brief
“The State of Secularism in Chadian Higher Education: Implications for P/CVE Programs and Policy”
RESOLVE Network Research Briefs, March 2019
Book Chapter
“Burkina Faso” in Africa Yearbook, Volume 14. John Abbink, Victor Adetula, Andreas Mehler, and Henning Melber, eds.
2018
Paper
“The Unstable Foundations of Political Stability in Chad.”
West African Papers, January 2018
Book Chapter
“Burkina Faso” in Africa Yearbook, Volume 13. John Abbink, Sebastian Elischer, Andreas Mehler, and Henning Melber, eds.
2017
Paper
“Chad: Guardian of Stability in the Sahel”
« Le Tchad, gardien de la stabilité au Sahel »Bulletin FrancoPaix, September 2017
Brief
“2016 Chadian Presidential Election – Expert Briefing”
Africa Research Institute, January 2017
Book Chapter
“Burkina Faso” in Africa Yearbook, Volume 12. John Abbink, Sebastian Elischer, Andreas Mehler, and Henning Melber, eds.
2016
Article
“Taking Stock of Burkina Faso’s Democracy after al-Qaeda Attack”
Washington Post’s Monkey Cage, January 21, 2016
Book Chapter
“Political Uncertainty in Burkina Faso” in Ruling on the Margins: Democratic Performance in Small African Countries. Claire Metelits and Stephanie Matti, eds.
2015
Book Chapter
“Burkina Faso” in Africa Yearbook, Volume 11. Sebastian Elischer, Rolf Hofmeier, Andreas Mehler, and Henning Melber, eds.
2015
Article
“Burkina Faso Elections Mark Turning Point in Country’s Recent Political Turmoil”
Washington Post’s Monkey Cage, December 6, 2015
Article
“Mobilizing for Elections: The Burkinabe Context”
APSA Africa Workshops Newsletter, November 2015
Article
“Here’s How You Bring Down a ‘Strongman’ Government (without a Civil War)”
Washington Post’s Monkey Cage. October 15, 2015
Article
“Burkina Faso: President Kafando is Back in Charge, But Now What?”
Africa Is a Country, September 25, 2015
Article
“Why General Gilbert Diendéré Is Derailing the Political Transition in Burkina Faso.”
Africa Is a Country, September 20, 2015
Article
“How Al-Qaeda Got to Timbuktu, and Why it Matters”
The Partisan—UF Political Science, Summer 2014
Book Review
Multi-Ethnic Coalitions in Africa: Business Financing of Opposition Election Campaigns, by Leonardo R. Arriola
African Studies Review, April 2014
Working Paper
Sahel Research Group, December 2013
Working Paper
“Negotiating Stability during Times of Change: The Stakes of the Malian Crisis in Burkina Faso”
Sahel Research Group, December 2013
Book Review
Historical Dictionary of Niger, Fourth Edition, by Abdourahmane Idrissa and Samuel Decalo.
African Studies Quarterly, November 2013
The Growing Threat of Extremism in West African Coastal States [28:04]
Secure the Continent, News Central TV, May 27, 2022
Has Mali’s Junta Admitted That the Wagner Group Is in the Country?
TRT World Now, Apr 28, 2022
Strategies for Peace and Security in the Sahel
Africa Center for Strategic Studies, September 27, 2019
In or Out: Secularism in the Lake Chad Basin
RESOLVE Network Global Forum 2018
Former President of Guinea Found Guilty in Massacre Trial
The World, August 1, 2024
What’s at Stake in Chad’s Presidential Election?
Al Jazeera, May 6, 2024
Chad’s President Looks to Shore Up Regime as he Seeks New Alliances
Financial Times, May 4, 2024
Russians Move into Niger as US Moves Out
The World, May 3, 2024
Analysis: ECOWAS Directed a “Standby Force” for Niger Situation
VOA Africa 54 Interviews, August 11, 2023
Niger’s Coup and the International Community’s Opposition, Explained
Vox, July 30, 2023
Mali’s Referendum Can’t Guarantee a Democratic Transition
Vox, June 17, 2023
What Does US Seek from Antony Blinken’s Visit to Niger?
Al Jazeera, March 18, 2023
Chad’s Coup Leader Stops Democracy in Its Tracks
Foreign Policy, December 6, 2022
Macron Questions Russia’s Ambitions in Africa
TheWorld, November 22, 2022
35 Killed in Burkina Faso Bomb Attack
Africa News Tonight, September 6, 2022
How French Exit from Mali Is Impacting Sahel Security
TheWorld, April, 28 2022
Has Mali’s Junta Admitted That the Wagner Group Is in the Country?
TRT World Now, April 28, 2022
Talk of Wagner Mercenary Deal Shines Light on Mali Power Politics
Al Jazeera, September 21, 2021
What Deby’s Death Means for Regional Security in the Sahel [6:09]
Africa News Tonight, April 20, 2021
France, G5 Sahel Nations Urge Chad to Continue Counterterrorism Support
Voice of America, May 4, 2020
Rebel Attacks in Northern Chad Add a New Layer to Deby’s “Gathering Storm”
World Politics Review, September 13, 2018
Donors Keep Quiet as Chad’s Economic Woes Give Way to Social Unrest
World Politics Review, February 22, 2018
How Chad’s Regional Military Might Enables Repression at Home
World Politics Review, May 18, 2017
Will Compaore’s Trial Bring Accountability to Burkina Faso?
World Politics Review, April 27, 2017
RFI, November 28, 2015
Burkina Faso Elections: Why Historic Vote Matters
Al Jazeera, November 28, 2015
How Burkina Faso’s Rapper-Activists Shaped a Year of Upheaval
Institute of Current World Affairs, November 1, 2015
Stalled Transition: Burkina Faso’s Fading Chance for Reform
World Politics Review, October 20, 2015
Burkina Faso’s Next Challenge: Reintegration of Former Putschist Soldiers
VOA, October 2, 2015
Burkina Faso: What to Do with Presidential Guard after Failed Coup
RFI, September 26, 2015