The nature of conflicts and security threats across Africa are rapidly changing.

Over the past ten years, traditional armed conflicts have steadily reduced in number and ferocity. Yet armed non-state actors remain a threat in some regions, whilst new forms of security concerns are emerging in the form of increasingly organised criminality and trafficking.

Piracy off the coast of Somalia has grown dramatically. Pirates are seizing ships, demanding and receiving million-dollar ransom payments, and are becoming more aggressive and assertive. Africa Programme consultant researcher, Roger Middleton, in Piracy in Somalia: Threatening Global Trade, Feeding Local Wars, highlighted the dangers of Somali pirates to Somalia and the world.

International efforts to counter piracy were stepped up in 2009 but hijacking of ships continues and there is international legal ambiguity over what to do with captured pirates.

Other peace and security focused activities have included a series of meetings focussed on ongoing violence in Nigeria's Niger Delta region; a workshop and briefing paper on Liberia's LURD rebels - Liberia: Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD) and a briefing paper on the MFDC in the Casamance - Senegal: Mouvement des Forces Democratique de la Casamance. In 2007 we published a report on the Forces nouvelles of Côte d'Ivoire - Côte d'Ivoire's Forces Nouvelles. We are also conducting research on Angola's FLEC rebels in Cabinda.

In 2012 the Africa Programme will be expanding its work in these areas to reflect the changing nature of threats across the continent in the context of an increasingly interconnected world. 

Resources

Treasure Mapped: Using Satellite Imagery to Track the Developmental Effects of Somali Piracy
Programme Paper
Anja Shortland, January 2012

Growing Instability in the Western Sahel: Experiences and Responses
Transcript
Robert Fowler, Jérôme Spinoza and Dr Knox Chitiyo, December 2011

The Consequences of Piracy in the Horn of Africa (in Italian)
Report prepared for the Italian Parliament
Roger Middleton and Lia Quartapelle, May 2010

Angolan Complacency Hands Separatists Publicity
Expert Comment
Alex Vines, January 2010

Piracy and Legal Issues: Reconciling Public and Private Interests
Conference Report
October 2009

Pirates and How to Deal With Them
Briefing Note
Roger Middleton, April 2009

Piracy in Somalia: Threatening Global Trade, Feeding Local Wars
Briefing Paper
Roger Middleton, October 2008

Côte d'Ivoire's Forces Nouvelles
Africa Programme Paper
Daniel Balint-Kurti, September 2007

Senegal: Mouvement des Forces Democratique de la Casamance
Briefing Paper
Martin Evans, December 2004

Liberia: Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD)
Briefing Paper
James Brabazon, February 2003

Contact

For further information please contact Elizabeth Donnelly.