Enhancing Civilian Protection in Peace Operations: Insights from Africa
Identifying lessons learned from African operations, Paul Williams offers priorities for improving civilian protection in peace operations.
160 Search Results for "Somalia" …
Search our video library for "Somalia"
Africa’s Fragile States: Empowering Extremists, Exporting Terrorism
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
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
U.S. Security Engagement in Africa
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.
Africa Logistics Forum
Attaining and sustaining peace across Africa is critically dependent on the ability of Africa’s security sector to respond in a timely manner, get troops and supplies to areas of greatest need, establish reliable communications infrastructure, relocate vulnerable and affected groups, and sustain efforts aimed at ensuring stability and democratic values. This is the realm of... Continue Reading
Securing the Global Commons: Maritime Safety and Security (MSS) in Africa
The U.S. government has supported a number of productive lines of effort over the past few years strengthening individual functional areas within the African partners’ maritime sectors. A next critical step is to bring those various threads together to help reinforce an integrated and holistic African response spanning from the maritime incident at sea to... Continue Reading
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.
Leveraging Donor Security Assistance for National Priorities
African states receive a variety of security assistance from a wide range of donor nations and external partners. This program assists African states in developing a strategy to prioritize, leverage, and manage the range of security assistance offers from external partners.
Additional Reading on External Actors in Africa
(See more recent readings on this topic here.) Army of Fake Fans Boosts China’s Messaging on Twitter By Erika Kinetz, Associated Press, May 12, 2021 Chinese officials around the world use Twitter and Facebook, which are blocked in China, to post about their country’s initiatives and defend it against controversy. But the seeming popularity of... Continue Reading
Additional Reading on Peacekeeping
(See more recent readings on this topic here.) Securing Legitimate Stability in the DRC: External Assumptions and Local Perspectives By Jaïr van der Lijn, Tim Glawion, and Nikki de Zwaan, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, September 30, 2019 Surveys and interviews conducted in South Kivu examine the roles of the Armed Forces of the DRC... Continue Reading
Additional Reading on Maritime Security
(See more recent readings on this topic here.) Africa’s Fisheries’ Paradise at a Crossroads: Investigating Chinese Companies’ Illegal Fishing Practices in West Africa By Greenpeace, May 31, 2015 Many economically disadvantaged West African states have formed agreements with Chinese fishing companies to profit from untapped fishing opportunities throughout West Africa. However, a lack of transparency,... Continue Reading
Additional Reading on Irregular Warfare
(See more recent readings on this topic here.) The Problem with Militias in Somalia: Almost Everyone Wants Them Despite Their Dangers By Vanda Felbab-Brown, UN Centre for Policy Research, April 14, 2020 Militias can present an attractive alternative to state forces but they carry many risks. Somalia, which hosts many militias, reveals why states and... Continue Reading