Combating Piracy in the Gulf of Guinea
Stronger national, regional, and international political commitments are needed to reverse the worsening trend of maritime insecurity in the Gulf of Guinea.
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Peace Operations in Africa: Lessons Learned Since 2000
The achievements and shortcomings of peacekeeping operations offer vital lessons for optimizing this increasingly central but still evolving tool.
Africa’s Militaries: A Missing Link in Democratic Transitions
Institutionalization of democratic norms in Africa’s militaries often lags behind advances made in civilian institutions and civil society.
Nigeria’s Pernicious Drivers of Ethno-Religious Conflict
Download this Brief as a PDF: English | Français | Português Summary Nigeria’s long-running “indigene-settler” conflict in and around Jos, Plateau State has escalated in recent years and may spread to other ethnically mixed regions of the country, heightening instability. Navigating such inter-communal fault lines is a common challenge for many African societies that requires... Continue Reading
Optimizing Africa’s Security Force Structures
Combating irregular forces has become a common feature of the contemporary African security landscape. However, the security sector in most African countries is ill-prepared to conduct effective counter-insurgency operations. Realigning force structures to address these threats while building security sector professionalism to gain the trust of local populations is needed to do so.
Urban Fragility and Security in Africa
Estimates are that more than half of all Africans will live in cities by 2025. This rapid pace of urbanization is creating a new locus of fragility in many African states—as evidenced by the burgeoning slums around many of the continent’s urban areas—and the accompanying rise in violence, organized crime, and the potential for instability. These evolving threats, in turn, have profound implications for Africa’s security sector.
Investing in Science and Technology to Meet Africa’s Maritime Security Challenges
A growing number of Africa’s security challenges—narcotics trafficking, piracy, illegal fishing, and armed robberies, among others—take place at sea. Illicit actors exploit Africa’s maritime space given its expansiveness and the limited number of vessels African governments can field to interdict this activity. Technology can dramatically improve Africa’s maritime security coverage. However, to do so will require engaging Africa’s scientists who can guide and sustain these efforts. This will yield not only security but environmental and meteorological benefits for the continent.
Cocaine and Instability in Africa: Lessons from Latin America and the Caribbean
Download this Security Brief as a PDF: English | Français | Português Africa is facing an increasingly menacing threat of cocaine trafficking that risks undermining its security structures, nascent democratic institutions, and development progress. Latin America has long faced similar challenges and its experience provides important lessons that can be applied before this expanding threat... Continue Reading
Lessons Learned from Peace Operations in Africa
Download PDF: English | Français | Português Peace operations have been a principal tool used to curb conflict in Africa over the past decade, with over 40 operations deployed since 2000. This Security Brief takes stock of lessons learned from these experiences and the implications they hold for improving the effectiveness of future peace operations... Continue Reading
Research
Africa Center research offers strategic analysis of Africa’s security challenges and practical, evidence-based insights into paths forward.
Countering Violent Extremism: Lessons Learned and Ways Forward
This program examines best practices for countering violent extremism leading to the production of a handbook for African security practitioners, derived from insights and recommendations generated from the Africa Center CVE series and from other sources.
Additional Reading on Police Sector Reform
Building Police Institutions in Fragile States: Case Studies from Africa By Richard Downe, Center for Strategic and International Studies, January 13, 2013 In sub-Saharan Africa the police sector is often an underperforming institution, typically because of low resources or politicized leadership. The resulting insecurity harms government legitimacy and frustrates entrepreneurship and economic growth. African security... Continue Reading