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The distinction between legitimate and illicit business in Africa is fluid due to the significant size of informal trade on the continent. At the same time, globalization has allowed organized criminal groups to link up with international networks, including violent extremists.
Islamist terrorist groups in the Sahel and Sahara are attempting to exploit pastoralist grievances to mobilize greater support for their agenda, write Kaley Fulton and Benjamin Nickels.
Resources are always limited, even for advanced countries, but the problem in Africa is not resources per se. The problem is their misuse, says the Africa Center’s Assis Malaquias.
Most of Nigeria's security threats require security forces—especially police—that are well-governed, respected, and have effective oversight mechanisms.
The unfolding events between Morocco and Western Sahara could provide a sought-after opportunity for AQIM to reassert its relevance in the region.
An inclusive national security strategy process is more likely to reflect sound technical methodology, strategic perspective, and unique national concerns.
Over the past two decades, Colombia has managed a dramatic turnaround in governance and security conditions. Many African countries face similar challenges to those of Colombia in the late 1990s—persistent insurgencies fueled by criminal trafficking, limited governance presence, and socio-economic inequality. On the occasion of the release of A Great Perhaps? Colombia: Conflict and Convergence, the Africa Center hosted a discussion to assess relevant lessons from the Colombian experience for Africa.
Maritime access gives Africa a major strategic advantage. Yet none of its 38 coastal states can fully claim sovereignty over territorial waters.
(See more recent readings on this topic here.) Tri-border Transit: Trafficking and Smuggling in the Burkina Faso–Côte d’Ivoire–Mali Region By Roberto Sollazzo and Matthias Nowak, Small Arms Survey, November 12, 2020 Violent Extremism, Organized Crime, and Local Conflicts in the Liptako-Gourma Region By William Assanvo, Baba Dakono, Lori-Anne Theroux-Bénoni & Ibrahim Maïga, Institute for Security... Continue Reading
(This article was originally published on ISN) This month, we talk with Kate Almquist Knopf, who heads the Africa Center for Strategic Studies at the US National Defense University (NDU), Washington, DC. In our interview, Ms Knopf (1) describes ACSS’ mission and areas of activity; (2) highlights the African trends and developments that the Center... Continue Reading
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