Algeria – Political Competition and Stability

Africa, Analysis, Civilians At Risk, Elections, Human Rights, Islamist Violence, Local-Level Violence, Rioting And Protests, Violence Against Civilians
The Arab Democracy Index IV, published in November 2014, documented that “there has been a positive but slow progress towards democratic change” in the region since the Arab Spring. The results identify that Algeria progressed by 105 ADI (Arab Democracy Index) points since 2011 and ranks third behind Morocco and Jordan.…

Intra-Tuareg Militant Violence and Islamist Insurgency – The Overlapping Crises of the Conflict in Mali

Africa, Analysis, Civilians At Risk, Islamic State, Islamist Violence, Rioting And Protests, Unidentified Armed Groups, Violence Against Civilians
Following the short but deadly burst of fighting in May, Mali has generally seen a decreasing trend in overall events over the past few months (which follows a broader trend in decreasing violence since this time last year), with a spike in fatalities during July (see Figure 1).…

What do the Mpeketoni attacks say about conflict in Kenya?

Africa, Al Shabaab, Analysis, Current Hotspots, Islamist Violence, Violence Against Civilians
Both conflict events and reported fatalities increased in Kenya this month, with the most intense violence associated with an attack on civilians in Witu, Lamu island, in Kenya’s Coastal region. The attack incorporates several key complex dynamics in contemporary Kenyan political violence, each of which is worth unpacking in turn.…