Publications

Debate about security sector reform is often restricted to government, a handful of security experts, and the security sector itself. Yet, civil society is a crucial stakeholder in the SSR discourse if SSR efforts are to successfully build a professional, legitimate and effective security sector. In the Gambia, comprehensive security sector reform is a core element of the country’s democratic transition process after the 2016 elections. This paper explores modalities of civil society engagement with the SSR process that may foster dialogue and an informed civic discourse.

Middle powers in the Arabian Gulf and the Middle East have been gradually building strategic partnerships in the Horn of Africa region during the past decade, often through agricultural and mining deals, defence pacts and public infrastructure projects. Preferring personalised relations with the region’s power brokers, these transactional, interest-driven partnerships have crystallised into new networks for regional influence and power.

The East African Community’s (EAC) first and only military intervention, the EAC Regional Force in the Democratic Republic of Congo, prematurely came to an end in December 2023.

This report outlines the substance of discussions on the multidimensional crisis that has been unfolding in the Sahel region for just over a decade, held in the framework of a conference organised by the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung Peace and Security Centre of Competence Sub-Saharan Africa (FES PSCC), in Dakar, Senegal, from 14 to 15 May 2024.

For some years now, the Sahel has been experiencing a series of interlinked crises, and the re-articulation of its geopolitical and security realities. The change in the historical logic that prevailed until recently has paved the way for the return of certain players (including Russia, which is making a major comeback) and the arrival of new ones (Türkiye, and Iran to a certain extent).

The decision by Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger to withdraw from ECOWAS represents a major strategic shift in this decade. The creation of the Alliance of Sahel States already brought with it a new configuration in West Africa following the decline of the G5 Sahel.

The idea of placing people rather than states at the centre of peace support operations, and prioritising human security during military interventions has been circulating in policy circles for some time. However, some members of the international peace support community are reluctant to embrace it. Despite the pushback against this notion as a policy and a practice, it has become vital for the relevance and credibility of international peace support operations (IPSOs) in Africa. According to the international peace support community, IPSOs, including various types of International Peace and Training Missions, are among the most effective tools for supporting peace and security. In recent years, however, IPSOs have suffered significant setbacks. They include reistance from host countries, perceived ineffectiveness in responding to asymmetrical conflict threats and preventing violence against civilians, and…

The main aim of this study is to analyse the advantages and opportunities of a gender-inclusive security sector in order to gain a better understanding of the challenges involved in taking this dimension into account, with a view to promoting greater involvement and integration of women's needs in security sector reform in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger. It also looks at the nature of the progress made in terms of women's participation in the security sector in these countries and the institutional responses to the specific security needs of this category of actors.

From 29 to 30 November 2023, the Peace and Security Competence Center Sub-Saharan Africa office organized a regional workshop on the theme: "Crisis in West Africa: Challenges and Opportunities on the Road to a New Model for Democracy and Regional Cooperation." The workshop was attended by fifteen university participants, researchers, civil society actors and experts, specialists in questions of democracy, governance, constitutionalists and specialists in electoral, institutional and security issues from Mali, Burkina, Niger, Senegal, Benin, Guinea and Côte d’Ivoire.

From 21^st to 22^nd June 2023, the fourth edition of the West Africa Dialogue regional conference of the FES Peace and Security Competence Centre Sub-Saharan Africa was held in Dakar. The theme was "Nexus of democracy, security, and climate change in West Africa: A plea for inclusive and holistic approaches". The objective of this fourth edition is to make a plea for inclusive and holistic approaches about the topics not only important and urgent but also interconnected, namely democracy, security and climate change in West Africa. This policy paper reviews the outcome of the discussions and the recommendations made.