Exploiting Borders in the Sahel: The Islamic State in the Greater Sahara
The Islamic State in the Greater Sahara has pursued breadth rather than depth of engagement in its rapid rise along the Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso borders.
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The Islamic State in the Greater Sahara has pursued breadth rather than depth of engagement in its rapid rise along the Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso borders.
Benin’s recent no-contest legislative elections are an attempt to consolidate executive power at the expense of democratic gains.
This dataset allows researchers to track sexual gender-based violence as well as political violence targeting women, such as demonstrations predominantly featuring women. Since 1998, political violence targeting women is on the rise around the globe. Sexual violence is the leading type of violence against women in Africa, accounting for 42% of all violence targeting African women.
Program materials for the Africa Center's 2019 program, “National Security Strategy Development Workshop: Central and Southern Africa.” Click here for syllabus, readings, and presentation slides.
The violent extremist threat in northern Mozambique exploits underlying societal vulnerabilities of inequity, insecure land rights, and distrust of authorities.
Africa’s largest organized criminal activity is in land allocation, real estate, and property development, particularly in urban areas. Africa’s urban population is projected to double by 2035 and half of all Africans will live in urban areas. To minimize vulnerability to the corruption and crime that hinder citizen-centered urban development, enhancing transparency and engagement, such as issuing occupancy certificates to residents in informal settlements and engaging neighborhood organizations in local mapping exercises will be necessary.
Russia has significantly expanded its engagements in Africa in recent years. These engagements often take the form of propping up embattled and isolated autocratic leaders of countries that are rich in natural resources. The United States can draw a distinction with Russia’s destabilizing role by pursuing a positive engagement strategy in Africa. The United States must avoid the Cold War trap of competing with Russia for the affections of corrupt, autocratic leaders in Africa, however, as such a policy would be disastrous for Africa while not advancing US interests.
April 23, 2019 The Africa Center mourns the passing of General Lamine Cissé, a champion for peace and security in Africa, capable military institutions, and ethical leadership. Tributes for General Lamine Cissé have been pouring in from around the world following his death on April 19 in Dakar at the age of 80 years. “He... Continue Reading
The African Union will need to overcome a lack of political will and address structural challenges if it is to be effective in responding to security crises on the continent, consistent with its founding mission.
Criminal consortia in Africa exploit artisanal and small-scale gold mining at the expense of vulnerable populations. The situational factors and criminal tactics that facilitate the exploitation and criminal capture of gold mining are complex and include violence, extortion, and bribery. Through a more holistic understanding of the challenge, policymakers will better be able to identify and combat criminals engaged in the artisanal gold mining sector.