Understanding the Insurgency in Mozambique

Bridge over Rio Lúrio in Cabo Delgado. Photo Credit: F H Mira Over the last year, the Mozambican Salafi-jihadist group Ahl al-Sunna wa Jama’ah (ASWJ)[i] has grown in scope, committing twice as many attacks as in 2019.[ii] Although there has been low-level violence in the Cabo Delgado region of Mozambique for years, the extent of … Continue reading Understanding the Insurgency in Mozambique

Achieving Maritime Security in the Gulf of Guinea

Gulf of Guinea. Photo Credit: International Chamber of Commerce When people think of modern-day piracy, Somalia and the Horn of Africa region quickly jump to mind. In the late 2000s, a series of dramatic hijackings and hostage situations received widespread media attention, and even a Tom Hanks movie. However, on Africa’s West Coast lies another, … Continue reading Achieving Maritime Security in the Gulf of Guinea

As Attacks Rise, is the Islamic State Tightening its Grip on the Sahel?

ISGS fighters clash with al-Qaeda-affiliated JNIM near Talataye, Gao Region, Mali. Photo from IS al-Naba publication Since 2018, the Liptako-Gourma region on the borders between Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso has seen a rise in violence from jihadist groups, including the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS). Although ISGS is expanding its geographical reach … Continue reading As Attacks Rise, is the Islamic State Tightening its Grip on the Sahel?

The Libyan People Need US Support Now More than Ever

General Haftar’s Libyan National Army advances into Tripoli in May 2019. Photo Credit: Reuters, May 4 2019. In October 2019, President Trump announced that US troops would be leaving northern Syria, which caused backlash from politicians and the American public concerned about abandoning US allies. This vacillation in US policy is similar to the current … Continue reading The Libyan People Need US Support Now More than Ever

Pursuing Peace in Sudan

Members of the SPLM-N riding in a technical. Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons. Sudan is in the midst of a political transition that many hope will fulfill the demands of the nation’s people for civilian government. Three decades of authoritarian rule under Omar al-Bashir, which sowed widespread popular distrust in the state and fueled longstanding social, … Continue reading Pursuing Peace in Sudan

Enhancing Regional Security Cooperation in the African Great Lakes Region

DRC soldiers on patrol. Photo Credit: Reuters. The African Great Lakes region requires a more comprehensive regional security framework and strategy to manage the threat of transnational militias. The Great Lakes region in Africa comprises the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania. There are numerous transnational militias operating … Continue reading Enhancing Regional Security Cooperation in the African Great Lakes Region

Strengthening Regional Engagement and Dialogue in East Africa

East and West of the Red Sea. Photo Credit: NASA image courtesy MODIS Rapid Response Team, Goddard Space Flight Center. By: Iakovos Balassi, Columnist East African states must take coordinated, proactive measures to deter exploitation and manage the impacts of foreign investments in the region. The geopolitics of East Africa are shifting, in large part due … Continue reading Strengthening Regional Engagement and Dialogue in East Africa

How the Gulf States’ Investments are Destabilizing the Horn of Africa

An Ethiopian farmer watches as his farmland is confiscated and reworked by foreign investors. Photo Credit: Deutsche Welle By: Jordan Abu-Sirriya, Columnist In December of 2018, diplomats from six states—Jordan, Yemen, Somalia, Sudan, Djibouti, and Egypt— adjacent to the Gulf of Aden and Red Sea arrived in Saudi Arabia to discuss and form the Red … Continue reading How the Gulf States’ Investments are Destabilizing the Horn of Africa

A Stolen Election in the DRC – Where does US Policy Go From Here?

Outgoing president Joseph Kabila adorns incoming Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi (right) at his inauguration on January 24, 2019. Photo Credit: Jerome Delay/AP By: Taylor Clausen, Columnist It has been two months since the Democratic Republic of Congo’s presidential election, and nothing has gone according to plan. For the past year, the United States’ foreign policy in … Continue reading A Stolen Election in the DRC – Where does US Policy Go From Here?

Assessing Challenges to AMISOM’s Exit

Senior military officers of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and other international partners attend the closing session of the AMISOM Sector Commanders Conference in Mogadishu, Somalia, Feb. 15, 2019. Photo Credit: O. Abdisalan/AMISOM. By: Iakovos Balassi, Columnist While the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) has made progress towards weakening al-Shabaab, the force … Continue reading Assessing Challenges to AMISOM’s Exit