by Natalia Kossobokova The Tech Spotlight Series is an interview series where we chat with experts in the technology sector about the latest in off-grid communications. In many of the world’s developing nations, there is a vast ecosystem of non-governmental organizations (NGO) working feverishly to help improve the quality of life. Operating in these places [...]
The Sahel, the region of transition between the Sahara and the savanna is now a haven for extremist organizations and criminal organizations with international reach. Desertification, pastoral-agrarian conflicts, marginalized communities, inadequate governance, harmful intervention of international powers, and under sourced security forces have all contributed to the unstable conditions that allow these types of groups [...]
Extremist groups such as ISIS and Al-Qaeda have found a home in the Sahel. Communities marginalized by their governments have proved to be the perfect foothold for radical extremism to take root. Up until now, the activities and goals of Isis and Al-Qaeda affiliated organizations based in the Sahel have been regional in nature. As [...]
Overview This report examines the implications of the political, economic, and military involvement by Iran and its proxies in the Sahel region of Sub-Saharan Africa. To examine these issues, the report’s sections define the Sahel region, explain the reasons that aid and involvement by external powers are welcomed by the local governments, analyze the [...]
Title Picture Source: Quartz Africa Since the early 1960s when West African countries gained independence from their former European colonial rulers, many of them have engaged in political, economic, and geo-strategic relations with the People’s Republic of China (PRC). In many cases, these relations intensified in the recent period, with China playing a major [...]
Quick Facts Country Name: Burkina Faso (“Land of the Honest People”). Formerly known as Republic of Upper Volta, with the name Burkina Faso adopted in 1984. Geographical Location/Size: A landlocked country located in Western Africa. It is bounded by Mali to the north and west, Niger to the northeast, Benin to the southeast, and Cote [...]
Introduction Over the past decade, international terrorism and the migration crisis in the Mediterranean have drawn international attention to the security situation in North Africa and the surrounding Trans-Sahara region. High-profile incidents like the wave of popular unrest known as the Arab Spring and subsequent Libyan civil war captured headlines and compelled Western military [...]
Niger conflict events 1Jan-18May19. Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED); https://www.acleddata.com May 2019 Quick Facts Geographical Size: Niger is a vast landlocked country in Central Africa, covering approximately 490,000 square miles. More than 80 percent of the land is covered by the Sahara Desert. Niger is named after the Niger River. The country [...]
Name Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (IS-GS) Overview The IS-GS emerged as an Islamic State (IS) grouping, initially called the Islamic State in Mali (ISM), in May 2015. At that time, Adnan Abu Walid al-Sahrawi, a co-leader of Al-Mourabitoun (AM) (“The Sentinels”), an al Qaida in the Maghreb (AQIM) affiliate in Mali, Niger, [...]
Peul (Fulani) Women. Picture taken in Paoua, Central African Republic. Security Implications of Nigeria’s Fulani’s Pastoral Migration: A Risk Report By Dr. Joshua Sinai, Consultant to FireWatch Solutions, Inc. Quick Facts: Nigeria Geography: Nigeria’s size is estimated at 356,667 square miles. It shares land borders with Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the [...]
