Blog Profile / Sahel Blog
| URL : | http://sahelblog.wordpress.com/ | |
|---|---|---|
| Filed Under: | Local Interest / Africa | |
| Posts on Regator: | 639 | |
| Posts / Week: | 5.6 | |
| Archived Since: | April 18, 2011 | |
Blog Post Archive
On Appraising Threats
Yesterday I published a piece at World Politics Review on assessing the threat that armed West African Muslim movements like Boko Haram might pose to the West. The piece is a sequel, in some sense, to two posts from earlier … Continue reading ?
Nigeria’s Experimental Steps Toward an Amnesty for Boko Haram
The Nigerian government, amid a military crackdown against the Boko Haram sect in the country’s northeast, is experimenting with measures that may lead to an amnesty for the group. These experiments seem like an effort to build good will with … Continue reading ?
Niger Has Received at Least Four Streams of Refugees Since 2011
Yesterday, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees announced that some 6,000 refugees have arrived to Niger from Nigeria, fleeing the Nigerian military’s offensive against Boko Haram. Reuters provides additional context. Refugees from Nigeria add to existing and recent refugee … Continue reading ?
Media and Nigeria’s 2015 Elections
Professor Attahiru Jega, chairman of Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission, at a recent event: INEC Chairman Prof. Attahiru Jega, in Abuja on Monday attributed the success of the 2011 general elections to the commitment of the Nigerian media. [...] The … Continue reading ?
Trajectories of Islam in Mali
I’ve written an article (.pdf) for the summer 2013 issue of the Fletcher Forum of World Affairs. The piece is entitled, “Towards an ‘Islamic Republic of Mali’?” I analyze trends in Malian Muslim leaders’ public religiosity and political participation. An excerpt … Continue reading ?
Niger and Libya on the Recent Bombings
(Somehow I goofed and didn’t post this on May 28th, the day I wrote it. It’s still relevant, so I thought I would post it today. – Alex) Following the May 23 bombings in northern Niger, the country’s president, Mahamadou … Continue reading ?
Africa Blog Roundup: Susan Rice, Mali, Darfur, Kenyan IDPs, and More
Africa in DC: “What Does Susan Rice’s Appointment as National Security Adviser Mean for Africa?” Bruce Whitehouse: As French troops hunted Islamist fighters in northern Mali this past winter, historian Greg Mann said that what was taking place in the … Continue reading ?
Africa News Roundup: Ethiopia and Egypt, Chad and Libya, CAR’s Crisis, and More
Los Angeles Times: A battle over water has turned into a war of colorful rhetoric between Ethiopia and Egypt over the flow of the Nile, which begins in the African highlands but keeps Egypt from being swallowed entirely by desert. … Continue reading ?
On the Prison Attack in Niger
On June 1, violence occurred at a prison in Niamey, Niger. Initial, and partly conflicting, reports suggested that the violence came either from inmates or from external attackers, but the consensus now seems to be that inmates were responsible. Perhaps … Continue reading ?
Regional Interconnections and Conflict in the Sahel
I am curious to hear readers’ reactions to two pieces that have appeared in recent weeks. These pieces, inspired by the recent bombings in Niger, treat interconnections between crises in different Northwest African countries, specifically Libya, Mali, and Niger. AFP: … Continue reading ?
Radicalization in Senegal?
The Institute for Security Studies (ISS), headquartered in South Africa, has released three installments of its “ECOWAS Peace and Security Report” – ECOWAS being the acronym, as many readers know, for the Economic Community of West African States. As the … Continue reading ?
Nigeria: Military Campaigns, Amnesty Talk, Security Sector Reform, and Boko Haram
As I started to articulate in this post, the Nigerian government’s response to the militant sect Boko Haram has often seemed ad hoc – and, I will add here, cyclical. The cycle involves (a) military crackdowns, (b) talk about security … Continue reading ?
Africa Blog Roundup: Y’En a Marre, DSK and South Sudan, Equatorial Guinea, and More
Justin Sandefur: “Seeing Like a State in Africa: Data Needed.” Chris Blattman: “Dear governments: Want to help the poor and transform your economy? Give people cash.” Jacques Enaudeau: “There are no foreclosed destinies, only deserted responsabilities” has become one of … Continue reading ?
Africa News Roundup: Kenyatta and the ICC, Niger Bombings, Northern Kenya, Libya, Algeria, and More
AP: With the help of French special forces, Niger’s military on Friday killed the last two jihadists holed up inside a dormitory on the grounds of a military garrison in the desert town of Agadez, and freed at least two … Continue reading ?
Mali: France, Kidal, and the MNLA
The story I want to tell here can be told with headlines: AFP, May 18: “France Accused of Favouring Mali’s Tuareg Rebels.” Reuters, May 19: “After Crushing Mali Islamists, France Pushes Deal with Tuaregs.” USA Today, May 20: “French Troops … Continue reading ?
Bombings in Northern Niger
Two bombings occurred this morning in northern Niger, one at a military barracks in Agadez (map) and another in Arlit (map), at a uranium mine operated by Somaïr, a subsidiary of the French firm Areva. At least nineteen casualties (and fifty … Continue reading ?
Nigeria’s Opposition: Amid Unification at the Top, Potential for Fragmentation in the Middle
In the first half of 2013, major Nigerian opposition parties have initiated a merger in hopes of defeating the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2015 national elections. The PDP has won every presidential election and swept most legislative … Continue reading ?
Central African Republic: World Politics Review Article on the Post-Rebellion Transition
As on Monday, I’m outsourcing today’s post: I’m up at World Politics Review with a piece entitled “Security Vacuum Threatens Central African Republic’s Political Transition.” I consider some of the background to and implications of the recent rebel takeover in that … Continue reading ?
Guest Post: “Fixing Mali: Accountability a Prerequisite”
(Today’s guest post comes from Jamie Pleydell-Bouverie, an MA Candidate [graduating this week!] at the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University. The post addresses challenges of accountability in crisis-torn Mali. The author’s views are not identical to … Continue reading ?
Nigeria: African Futures Post on Amnesty and Boko Haram
I’m outsourcing today’s post: I’m up at African Futures, a blog run by the Social Science Research Council, with a post on proposals to give amnesty to Nigeria’s Boko Haram sect. If you read the piece, please stop back by … Continue reading ?