France’s War in the Sahel and the Evolution of Counter-Insurgency Doctrine

Michael Shurkin, a senior political scientist at the RAND Corporation, documents the evolution of French counterinsurgency (COIN) practices and doctrines from 19th-century colonial operations & the Cold War to present day Operation Barkhane, which began in 2014. He argues that the French military is currently limiting itself to focusing on security in the anticipation that others will do the political work.

Read more on Texas National Security Review

Updates and Resources on West Africa

  • Mali

In exchange for the release of French hostage Sophie Petronin, 200 ‘jihadists’ were released. A retired French general expresses his frustration, a view no doubt shared by many senior French army officials.

Read more on Le Monde & Negotiations with jihadists: a problematic political solution

  • Guinea & Ivory Coast

Online debate organised by WATHI Think Tank in collaboration with Konrad Adenauer Stiftung foundation on elections and political practices in Guinea and Ivory Coast (French language resource).

Watch on YouTube “Élections en Guinée et en Côte d’Ivoire et pratiques politiques en Afrique de l’Ouest”