Last week in Africa, fatalities proliferated during anti-police brutality demonstrations in Nigeria; electoral violence worsened in Guinea and the Ivory Coast; and militants staged a massive prison break in the Democratic Republic of Congo. In Nigeria, continued interventions by unidentified armed groups, counter-demonstrators and state forces against #EndSARS demonstrators led to a proliferation of fatal…
Last week in Africa, demonstrations against police brutality continued to gain traction in Nigeria; ongoing election-related demonstrations and violence were reported in Guinea and the Ivory Coast; and an Al Shabaab ambush resulted in Somalia’s deadliest clash of the year. In Nigeria, #EndSARS demonstrations against police brutality have continued to grow across the country. Several…
Last week in Africa, anti-government demonstrations restarted in Guinea during the lead up to presidential elections; Al Shabaab increased operations targeting African Union forces in Somalia; and a peace accord collapsed in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Anti-government demonstrations restarted in Guinea, against Alpha Condé’s candidacy for a third presidential term. The National Front for…
Last week in Africa, Puntland forces launched operations against Islamic State forces in Somalia, the Islamic State staged significant attacks in Egypt’s North Sinai, and heavy intercommunal violence erupted in Ethiopia, Sudan, and South Sudan. In Egypt, Islamic State launched a complex attack on military forces in the Bir Al-Abd area of North Sinai, centred…
This is a joint brief by Kars de Bruijne and Loïc Bisson produced in partnership with the Clingendael Institute and published in the Clingendael Spectator. The outbreak of COVID-19 has strengthened the position of states across West Africa. Governments are subtly exploiting the crisis to repress opposition and manipulate elections. The lack of genuine opposition risks…
How might the coronavirus influence political violence? Arguably, one of the countries where the coronavirus has altered patterns most severely is in Guinea. Since October 2019, Guinea has experienced large-scale, violent demonstrations against a proposed change of the constitution. The coronavirus outbreak has allowed the regime to silence protests, to push through constitutional changes, to…
Last week in Africa, the ongoing coronavirus pandemic prompted a diverse range of demonstration activity, particularly centered on inadequate domestic distribution of food. In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), state forces were faced with fighting on multiple fronts, with active militant insurgencies in Ituri, Kongo-Central and North Kivu. Meanwhile, state forces were implicated in…
Last week in Africa, the Government of National Accord (GNA) made strategic gains against the Libyan National Army (LNA) in Libya, despite the ongoing bombardment of Tripoli. Meanwhile, dozens of Boko Haram militants died under uncertain circumstances while in prison in Chad. State forces once again employed lethal force during the enforcement of coronavirus measures…
In Africa during the last week of March, state forces increasingly employed violence to enforce coronavirus restrictions. Meanwhile, ongoing Islamist insurgencies had key successes in several countries. Boko Haram launched deadly assaults on state forces in Nigeria and Chad, as militants made significant gains in Mozambique’s northernmost province of Cabo Delgado. Elsewhere, voting was met…
During the last week across Africa, armed clashes and attacks fell, while demonstrations levels remained high across the continent driven by ongoing movements in Northern and Western Africa. Despite falling levels of violence, large numbers of civilian displacements and civilian fatalities were reported in the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of Congo, respectively.…