Borders and Conflicts in North and West Africa

The team and acknowledgements

Editorial leadership and drafting: Marie Trémolières

Editing: Lia Beyeler with contributions from Christina Iannuzzi

Formatting: Sylvie Letassey

Layout: JOUVE

This work is carried out under the memorandum of understanding with the University of Florida Sahel Research Group.

Olivier J. Walther, Ph.D., provided scientific direction and co-ordinated the mapping, analysis and drafting of the report. Dr Walther is an Assistant Professor in Geography at the University of Florida and a consultant for SWAC/OECD. His current research focuses on cross-border trade and transnational political violence in West Africa. Dr Walther is the Africa Editor of the Journal of Borderlands Studies, a “chief” of the African Borderlands Research Network and on the advisory board of the African Governance and Space project. Over the last ten years, he has served as a lead investigator or partner on externally funded research projects from the OECD, the National Science Foundation, NASA, the World Food Programme, the European Commission, the European Spatial Planning Observatory, the governments of Luxembourg and Denmark, and the Carlsberg Foundation. E-mail: [e-mail]

Steven M. Radil, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Geosciences at the US Air Force Academy. Dr Radil is a political geographer and primarily researches the spatial dimensions of political violence in the international system, including civil war, insurgency and terrorism. In Africa, he has previously published on the diffusion of the internationalised civil war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and on the territorial ambitions of Islamist-inspired insurgencies. He has methodological expertise in spatial analysis, social network analysis, and geographic information science (GIS) and routinely uses these tools in his work. E-mail: [e-mail]

Disclaimer: The views expressed are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the US Air Force, Department of Defense or the US Government.

External contributors

David G. Russell is a Senior Research Specialist with the Bridging Divides Initiative at Princeton University. He holds an MSc in Geography from the University of Idaho and a BA in History from Middlebury College. His research focuses on quantifying the spatio-temporal patterns of political violence and on how geopolitical rhetoric shapes the ways people see the world and its history. Mr. Russell has conducted research at the Middle East Institute in Washington, D.C., and currently works as a consultant to the OECD/SWAC Secretariat. Email: [e-mail]

Matthew Pflaum is a PhD student in the Department of Geography at the University of Florida. He holds an MSc in African Studies and International Development from the University of Edinburgh and an MPH in global health/ infectious disease from Emory University. He is broadly interested in mobility and violence in West Africa and the Sahel and the factors contributing to joining militias and extremist organisations. The focus of his work is on pastoralist groups and the tensions that arise over resources, land, governance, mobility and power. E-mail: [e-mail]

Alexander Thurston is Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of Cincinnati. His research focuses on Islam and politics in northwest Africa, especially in Mali, Mauritania and Nigeria. He has held fellowships with the Council on Foreign Relations, the Wilson Center, and the American Council of Learned Societies. His most recent book is Jihadists of North Africa and the Sahel: Local Politics and Rebel Groups (Cambridge University Press, 2020). Email: [e-mail]

Policy perspectives

The team would like to extend special thanks to Ms. Emanuela Claudia Del Re and Ambassador Maman Sambo Sidikou who kindly agreed to share their thoughts on the priorities and policy challenges for the region.

Emanuela Claudia Del Re was appointed European Union Special Representative (EUSR) for the Sahel on 1 July 2021. Ms Del Re is an Italian national with a long academic career, having conducted extensive research in conflict areas in the Middle East, Central Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. She has been a member of the Italian Parliament and served as Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation of Italy.

Ambassador Maman Sambo Sidikou held various positions in Niger (Director of Cabinet of the Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Ambassador to the United States) before working in the development sector in Africa, America and Asia (World Bank, UNICEF and Save the Children). He co-ordinated peacekeeping operations in Somalia (African Union) and in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (United Nations) before being appointed Executive Secretary of the G5 Sahel (2018) and then High Representative of the African Union Mission for Mali and the Sahel (MISAHEL) in 2021.

Many thanks also to Mr.Alain Antil and Dr Kehinde A. Bolaji for their astute contributions.

Dr Alain Antil, Researcher, Director of the Sub-Saharan Africa Center, French Institute of International Relations (Ifri)

Dr Kehinde A. Bolaji, Knowledge & Innovation Advisor/Programme Manager, Africa Borderlands Centre, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Resilience Hub, Nairobi, Kenya

The team also wishes to thank the following individuals for their contribution to the writing of this report:

Mr Laurent Bossard, SWAC/OECD Secretariat; Prof. Leonardo A. Villalón, Ms. Susanna Goewey, University of Florida; Prof. Clionadh Raleigh, University of Sussex; Dr Roudabeh Kishi, Juliet Delate Iler, ACLED; Dr Thomas Cantens, World Customs Organisation; Mr José Luengo-Cabrera, Consultant; Dr Justin Schon, AidData; Dr Rafael Prieto Curiel, University College London; Dr Michiel van Eupen, Wageningen University; Dr Mareike Schomerus, Busara Center.

Special thanks go to Sylvie Letassey whose professionalism and commitment have helped ensure the high standard of SWAC/OECD publications over the years.