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"Africa Security Trends"
Africa Security Brief No. 27
published by Daniel Hampton
on April 30, 2014
Nearly half of all uniformed peacekeepers are African and countries like Ghana, Rwanda, Senegal, and South Africa have provided troops to UN and AU missions almost continuously over the past decade. Despite such vast experience, African peacekeepers are often reliant on international partners for training before they can deploy on these missions. Institutionalizing a capacity-building model within African defense forces is a more sustainable approach that maintains a higher level of readiness to respond to emerging crises and contingencies on the continent.
Spotlight
published by Paul Nantulya
on January 28, 2014
Advice for U.S. government personnel assigned to duties relating to Africa: The sheer diversity of the continent, approximately three times larger than the United States in both land mass and population, makes it impossible to apply a fixed set of indicators to explain its social, economic, political and security dynamics and challenges. Furthermore, if the... Continue Reading
Recommended research
published by Geneva Center for the Democratic Control of the Armed Forces & Geneva Call
on December 31, 2012
Armed nonstate actors, be they insurgents, vigilantes, or criminal groups, are a common challenge in many African countries. Despite being illegal and clandestine, such groups often develop a mutual dependency with communities and civilians for security or economic relations. This has broadened strategies to manage these threats. Inclusive approaches spearheaded by non-military actors to instill... Continue Reading
Africa Security Brief No. 23
published by Terje Østebø
on November 30, 2012
The rise in Islamic militancy in the Sahel, northern Nigeria, and the Horn of Africa has elevated attention to this evolving security concern. Hopes that Africa’s historically moderate interpretations of Islam would suffice to filter extremist views from gaining meaningful traction seem increasingly misplaced. More generally, understanding of this unconventional security challenge is often based more on speculation than informed assessment. Responses must avoid conflating distinct Islamist actors while addressing local level perceptions of disaffection and under-representation that underpin support for militants.
Africa Security Brief No. 22
published by Birame Diop, David Peyton, and Gene McConville
on August 31, 2012
Airlift assets provide vital capabilities and multiply the effectiveness of Africa’s resource-limited militaries and collective peace operations.
Africa Security Brief No. 13
published by Helmoed Heitman
on May 31, 2011
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.
Africa Security Brief No. 12
published by Stephen Commins
on April 30, 2011
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.
Africa Security Brief No. 6
published by Zachary Devlin-Foltz
on August 30, 2010
Download this Security Brief as a PDF: English | Français | Português Persistent reports of extremist activity from across Africa have deepened concern over the spread of radicalism on the continent. Extremists capitalize on political and security vacuums within Africa’s fragile states to grow their support base and consolidate their strength. Stable states that provide... Continue Reading
Africa Security Brief No. 5
published by Davin O'Regan
on July 31, 2010
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
Africa Security Brief No. 1
published by William M. Bellamy
on September 15, 2009
A significant development in Africa over the past decade has been the generalized lessening of violent conflict. Revitalized, expanded international peacekeeping, bolstered by a newly launched African Union determination to tackle security challenges, has reinforced this trend. But, much more cohesive interagency coordination under strong White House direction is required if the United States is to contribute to Africa’s sustained stability given the region’s persistent conditions of poverty, inequality, and weak governance.
Recommended research
published by Africa Center for Strategic Studies
on January 1, 2000
(See more recent readings on this topic here.) Good Talk, Not Enough Action: The AU’s Counterterrorism Architecture, and Why It Matters By Simon Allison, Institute for Security Studies, March 31, 2015 Terrorist organizations do not abide by state boundaries; they use borders to escape or expand their reach. The African Union (AU) has thus taken... Continue Reading
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Director of Research. Areas of Expertise: Democratization, Stabilization of Fragile States, Africa Security Trends, Security & Development, Countering Violent Extremism.
