Recent Activities From The Team

The Sahel Research Group seeks and welcomes opportunities to share our research and understanding of the countries of the region, in both academic and other settings. We list here some recent publications, presentations, and other activities by group members.

2023 |2022 |2021 |2020 |2019 |2018 |2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012

2023

As part of his Sahel scoping trip for the Minerva project, Professor Leonardo Villalón took part in a roundtable on the theme of « La situation sécuritaire au Sahel : vue de près et de loin par les universitaires » at the L’Institut des Sciences Humaines in Bamako, and presented the director of the institute, Professor Baba Coulibaly, copies of the Oxford Handbook of the African Sahel and other works produced by the SRG team.

The Sahel Research Group was awarded a new OECD grant to study the changing geography of conflict in North and West Africa. Read more…

2022

Our guest Jean-Hervé Jézéquel from the International Crisis Group will present his book project on June 13. The book analyses the historical trajectory of the post-colonial Malian state, revisiting the link between State Making and War Making in the central Sahel.

The panel on Instability and Violent Extremism in West Africa organized by the Foreign Policy Research Institute with Charles Ray, SRG Dr. Daniel Eizenga, Dr. Steven Radil, and Emily Estelle on 7 June, 2022 is now available on YouTube

Professor Leonardo Villalón gave a keynote address on Islamic Movements in the Sahel since 1990 at the Islamist Protest, Terrorism and (In)Security in Africa conference hosted by the University of Maroua, in Cameroon, from June 1-3. More information on the event here.

The new OECD report Borders and Conflicts in North and West Africa drafted by SRG Olivier Walther and colleagues was launched at the Munich Security Conference on February 19 and at the OECD on April 19. Using the innovative OECD Spatial Conflict Dynamics indicator, the new report examines the role of border regions in shaping patterns of violence since the end of the 1990s in the region. The report was subsequently presented at the MINUSMA in Bamako on April 14 and at the International Organization for Migration in Geneva on June 7, 2022.

Peer Schouten from the Danish Institute for International Studies presented his new book Roadblock Politics: The Origins of Violence in Central Africa on April 11.

We organized a seminar on Jihadism, Conflict and Governance in the Sahel: Taking Stock of a Decade of Crisis on 4 April with contributions from SRG Oliver Walther, Luca Raineri, Edoardo Baldaro, Jean-Hervé Jézéquel, Ibrahim Yahaya Ibrahim, Adib Bencherif, Mamadou Togola, and Abdoul Azizou Garba Brimaka.

SRG Frédérick Madore’s extensive database on Islam in Burkina Faso is now available on the University of Florida’s library website. Islam in Burkina Faso is an open access digital database containing over 2,600 archival documents, newspaper articles, Islamic publications of various forms, and photographs.

Ibrahim Yahya Ibrahim from the International Crisis Group discussed his new book project on Islam and Political Contestation in the Sahel on April 22.

On January 18, SRG coordinator Leonardo Villalón and research associate Ibrahim Yahaya Ibrahim participated in the Network2020 panel discussion on Domestic Conflict and Foreign Competition in the Sahel with Hannah Armstrong. The panel was organized on January 18 2022.

In his new book, Sebastian Elischer provides a comparative analysis of how different West and East African states have engaged with fundamentalist Muslim groups between the 1950s and today.

Dr. Fiona McLaughlin, Professor in the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures and the Department of Linguistics is awarded a 2022 Fulbright scholarship to work on her project “Vernacular Literacies in Algeria”. Dr. McLaughlin is an affiliate faculty member of the Center for African Studies and a research affiliate of the Sahel Research Group.

2021

The new OECD/SWAC report “Conflict Networks in North and West Africa” was launched at the Sahel Research Group on Thursday May 20th at 9AM EST by SRG Leonardo Villalón, Olivier Walther, in collaboration with Alex Thurston, Steve Radil, David Russell and Marie Trémolières.

Our colleague Olivier J. Walther and OECD/SWAC Director Laurent Bossard had presented the new OECD security report at the Sahel Coalition in March. Entitled “Conflict Networks in North and West Africa” the new report maps the evolution of rivalries and alliances between violent organizations in 21 North and West African countries since 1997.

The University of Florida (UF) recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the OECD to reinforce research in the West African Sahel. Signed on behalf of the UF Center for African Studies, the new agreement will reinforce ties between research and policies for sustainable development in the region. The new agreement builds on the interdisciplinary network established by the UF Sahel Research Group and is coordinated by SRG Olivier J. Walther.

2020

Our Sahel Research Group colleagues, Leonardo Villalón and Rahmane Idrissa, have recently published their co-edited book: Democratic Struggle, Institutional Reform, and State Resilience in the African Sahel with Rowman and Littlefield. With contributions from six distinguished scholars from each of the Sahelian countries, the book collectively explores the consequences of a quarter century of democratic struggle on institutions and state-building in the region. The book can be purchased on our publisher’s website found here. **To order the book at a special 30% discount click, download this flyer or use code LEX30AUTH20 when ordering**

The new OECD report “The Geography of Conflict in North and West Africa” is now available online. The report was launched at the Munich Security Conference by the Secretary-General of the OECD on February 14. This study maps the evolution of violence across North and West Africa, with a particular focus on Mali, Lake Chad and Libya. In the regions experiencing the highest levels of political insecurity, it identifies whether and how conflicts tend to cluster or spread, potentially across national borders. The work is based on a new spatial indicator of political violence designed to assess the long-term evolution of conflicts and provide policy options. The report builds on our research project Foreign Interventions and Transnational Insurgencies in the Sahara-Sahel led by SRG Olivier Walther.

2019

Roundtable on Secularism in the Sahel, with Leonardo Villalón (UF), Abdourahmane Idrissa (Niger, Leiden U), Koudbi Desiré Kaboré (Burkina Faso, Ouagadougou U), Hoinathy Remadji (Chad, CRASH), Boukary Sangaré (Mali, Leiden U), Abdourahmane Seck (Senegal, U Gaston Berger Saint Louis). This event is part of the Symposium “Lived Islam in Africa” organized by the UF Center for African Studies, Center for Global Islamic Studies and Department of Religion from May 22-24.

Olivier Walther and Abdoulaye Kane took part in a workshop on mapping borders in Africa organized by the the African Migration and Mobility Working Group, with Philippe Rekacewicz, Laia Soto-Bermant, on April 8, from 3:00pm to 5:00pm, Grinter 471, University of Florida.

2018

Dan Eizenga presented, “Managing Political Liberalization after Multiparty Elections: Regime Trajectories in the Sahel” at the annual meeting of the American Political Science Association in Boston, Massachusetts on 3 September.

Sebastian Elischer organized a panel on Security Forces and Elite Dynamics in Authoritarian Regimes at the American Political Science Association (APSA) Annual Meeting in Boston, Massachusetts on 2 September.

Ibrahim Yahaya Ibrahim, a PhD candidate in Political Science and affiliate to the Sahel Research Group, successfully presented and defended his PHD dissertation: “Islam and Political Contestation in the Sahel: Peaceful Protests, Violent Riots, and Jihadist Insurgency in Mauritania, Niger, and Mali” on August 6th, 2018.

Dan Eizenga, a PhD candidate in Political Science and affiliate to the Sahel Research Group, successfully presented and defended his PHD dissertation: “Managing Political Liberalization After Multiparty Elections: Regime trajectories in Burkina Faso, Chad, and Senegal” on August 8th, 2018. We wish you both continued success!

Fiona McLaughlin gave a talk entitled “The sociolinguistics of everyday ajami writing in Senegal” at the 9^th World Congress of African Linguistics (WOCAL 9) at the Mohammed V University of Rabat, Morocco, on August 25, 2018.

Fiona McLaughlin gave a talk on her research at the West Africa Research Center in Dakar, Senegal on May 22nd, entitled “Vers une histoire sociolinguistique du wolof urbain.”

Leonardo Villalón and Benjamin Soares were in Lisbon on May 25, 2018, for the annual meeting of the CapSahara project, funded by the European Research Council, for which they serve as senior advisors.

Mamadou Bodian gave an invited presentation: “Ecole, Religion, et République au Sahel : Education arabo-islamique et réforme de l’enseignement publique au Sénégal “ in the framework of the IHA-CREPOS research project on bureaucratization in Africa. Dakar, Senegal, May 17, 2018,

Fiona McLaughlin presented “La sociolinguistique de l’écrit dans le trans-Sahara” at: Centre d’Études Maghrébines en Algérie (CEMA) and Centre de Recherche en Anthropologie Sociale et Culturelle (CRASC). Oran, Algeria. April 25, 2018

Fiona McLaughlin presented “La recherche sociolinguistique sur le terrain en Afrique au sud du Sahara” at the University Abdelhamid Ibn-Badis of Mostaganem. Mostaganem, Algeria. April 26, 2018.

2017

Fiona McLaughlin has been awarded a Residential Fellowship from the Camargo Foundation in Cassis, France. She will be in residence from September 5-October 31, 2017 where she will be working on her book project, Language and urban life in Senegal: A critical sociolinguistics of the postcolony.
Fiona McLaughlin spent two weeks in Ghana, from July 16-29, 2017 running a Summer School on Endangered Language Documentation and Data Management with colleagues James Essegbey (UF) and Felix Ameka (Leiden University.) Twenty-five of the thirty students came from across West Africa, while the remainder came from US universities. Students got hands-on training in documentation and archiving techniques as well as on grant writing. They worked with six speakers of the highly endangered language, Animere, a Ghana-Togo Mountain language that has approximately thirty remaining speakers. Data will be archived in The University of Florida Language Archive (TUFLA). The summer school was held at the University of Education, Winneba and was funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation.
Oumar Ba presented “Contested Meanings: Timbuktu and the prosecution of destruction of cultural heritage as war crimes” at the International Studies Association’s Global South Caucus workshop in Havana, Cuba, 6-8 July 2017.

Ibrahim Yahaya Ibrahim presented, “Insurrections Djihadistes en Afrique de l’Ouest: Ideologie Djihadiste, Contexte Locale, Motivation Individuelle,” at the Sahel and West Africa Club’s annual meeting, OECD Conference Room in Paris, France, June 16th 2017.

Leonardo A. Villalón made and an invited presentation on “Religion, politics and education in Senegal,” at the Executive Analytical Exchange on Senegal organized by the State Department’s Bureau of Intelligence and Research to brief the new US Ambassador Tulinabo Mushingi, Department of State, Washington D.C. 6 June.

Sebastian Elischer and Leonardo Villalón were invited participants at a conference on “Post-Intervention Governance and Security in the African Sahel,” held at Northwestern University, and co-sponsored by Sciences Po, Paris. 19 May 2017. Elischer presented “Strong societies, weak states: Nigerien answers to a perennial African problem.” Villalón presented “Variations in State Resilience and Capacity in the Sahel.”

Leonardo Villalon, Daniel Eizenga and Ibrahim Yahaya Ibrahim participated in the conference: “Quel Avenir pour la résolution des conflits en Afrique de l’Ouest,” co-organized by the Centre FrancoPaix of the Chaire Raoul-Dandurand at the Université de Québec à Montréal, and the West Africa Peace and Security Network, in Montreal on 4-5 May, 2017. Villalón chaired a panel entitled “Crises dans les Sociétés Saheliens” on which Eizenga presented “Guarding Stability: Chad and the Politics of Security in the Sahel.” Ibrahim presented “Jihadism in the North, Islamism in the South: Why has Islamic Activism in Mali Taken Different Forms?”

The UF Sahel Research Group is pleased to announce that we have signed a memorandum of understanding with the Sahel and West Africa Club of the OECD in Paris. We look forward to collaborating with the SWAC Secretariat in its mission to support the effectiveness of regional policies. In the initial phase of our collaboration, the project will explore urbanization in border areas and women’s trade networks at the local and regional scale. Click here for more about this exciting collaboration. Leonardo A. Villalón introduced the work of the University of Florida Sahel Research Group: Watch Video Laurent Bossard talked about the new partnership with the Sahel Research Group (French): Watch Video

Fiona Mc Laughlin presented a paper entitled “The relocalization of French in urban Senegal” at a conference on African Linguistic Landscapes and Language Interaction in Traditional and Global Contexts in Rabat, Morocco on May 4. The workshop was co-sponsored by the Bayreuth International Graduate School of African Studies and Université Mohammed V.

Leonardo Villalón gave an invited presentation entitled “Political Reform and Social Dynamics: What Future for the Countries of the Sahel?” at the Institut de Diplomatie et de Relations Internationales of the Algerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Algiers, 11 April 2017. The event was cosponsored by the Centre d’Etudes Maghrebines en Algerie (CEMA).

Leonardo Villalón has been elected to a three year term as Chair of the board of directors of the Council of American Overseas Research Centers. CAORC is an association of 24 research centers located around the world, and is based at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington DC.

Mamadou Bodian participated in a panel titled “L’Islam à la Sénégalaise est- il toujours un régulateur social et politique ?” held in the French Institute of Dakar on 26 January 2017.

2016

Three members of the Sahel Research Group presented papers at the Point Sud Workshop on Sahelian Identities in Times of Crisis, held in Bamako, Mali from December 10-15, 2016: Abdoulaye Kane presented “Reconfigurer une identité peule dans le Sahel: le rôle de Tabbital Pulaaku International.” Fiona McLaughlin presented a paper entitled “Sahelian warscapes: Inscribing identity in Mali’s public sphere” Leonardo Villalón presented a keynote talk, “Education and National Identity in the Sahel: Citizenship between the Secular and the Religious.” Isaie Dougnon, former visiting scholar and affiliate of the Sahel Research Group, was a co-organizer of the workshop, along with Amy Niang and Baz Lecocq.

Daniel Eizenga presented reports for Freedom House’s 2016 Freedom in the World Report on Burkina Faso and Chad at their sub-Saharan Africa meeting in New York City on December 6.

The following members of the UF Sahel Research Group presented at the African Studies Association conference held in Washington, D.C. from December 1 – 3. December 1 Benjamin Burgen presented “Concrete Commitments: The Migrant-Funded Housing Boom in the Rural Senegal River Valley.” John Hames presented “Language Activism’s ‘Profit of Distinction’: Pulaar Militancy as a Path to Prestige and the Means of Survival.” December 2 Oumar Ba presented “Kenya and the ICC: The Limits of State Compliance.” Ibrahim Yahya Ibrahim presented “Jihadism in the North, Islamism in the South: The New Dynamics of Islam and Politics in Mali.” December 3Dan Eizenga presented “Surviving Democratization: Dominant Party Strategies in the Mult-Party Systems of Burkina Faso and Chad.” Sebastian Elischer chaired a panel titled “Institutions, Ethnic Conflict and Social Order” and presented “Informal Institutions and Religious Steering in Francophone and Anglophone Africa.” Abdoulaye Kane presented “Adapting to Uncertainty in the Sahel: The Role of Migrants and Remittances.” Sarah McKune presented “Food Security and Nutrition Among Livestock Holders.” Renata Serra chaired a panel titled “A Changing African Sahel: People, Mobility and Agriculture” and presented “Prospects for Agricultural Development in the Sahel.” Alioune Sow presented “The Hero in Massa Makan Diabaté’s Plays.”

Leonardo Villalón made a presentation on “Islamic Radicalization in the African Sahel” as an invited participant in the West African Network Kick-off meeting of the European Asylum Support Office (EASO), in Valetta, Malta. 22-23 November 2016.

Ben Burgen presented a paper entitled “Following along: Building a transnational ethnography of labor migration from Senegal to Europe” at the American Anthropological Association conference in Minneapolis, MN on 20 November.

Leonardo Villalón and Daniel Eizenga were invited presenters at an Executive Analytic Exchange on Burkina Faso, organized by the State Department’s Bureau of Intelligence and Research, to brief the new United States Ambassador, Andrew Young. Washington DC, 4 November 2016.

Ibrahim Yahaya Ibrahim, gave a presentation on “The Northern Mali Conundrum: Jihadism, Separatism or Tribalism?” as an invited presenter to the workshop “Civilian Population in West and East Africa and Experiences of Terrorist Threat” for the Civilian Affairs Battalion at Ft. Bragg, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, October 2016.

Renata Serra and Sarah McKune were in Niamey, Niger, between September 25 and October 7, to interview key stakeholders across various sectors to identify key issues affecting livestock systems and their impact on the production and consumption of animal-source food, which culminated in the Innovation Platform meetings organized by the UF Livestock System Innovation Laboratory (LSIL).

Leonardo Villalón was an an invited participant in a policy dialogue conference on “Security Regimens in Africa,” organized by the Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA) and the Université des Lettres et Sciences Humaines de Bamako. Bamako, Mali, September 28 – 29, 2016.

Leonardo Villalón made an invited presentation on “The Transnational Dimension of Radical Groups and its Consequences for Political Stability in West Africa,” at an international workshop on Transnational Extremist Organizations, held at Rutgers University and co-sponsored by the Danish Agency for Science, Technology, and Innovation. 19-20 September 2016.

Dan Eizenga presented, “Contentious Politics and Elite Bargaining in Burkina Faso’s Regime Transition” at the American Political Science Association Annual Meeting in Philadelphia on September 3, 2016.

Dan Eizenga gave an invited presentation entitled, “The Political Scene in Chad,” as part of an Executive Analytical Exchange on Chad for Ambassador Designate Geeta Pasi at the Department of State in Washington D.C., August 2, 2016.

Abdourahmane Idrissa and Ann Wainscott, two Sahel Research Group affiliates and UF alumni, were invited participants in an expert workshop on violent extremism convened in Berlin, Germany, on 27-28 July. The event was organized by the RESOLVE network, an executive organization affiliated with the United States Institute of Peace (USIP).

El Hadji Malick Sy Camara and Mamadou Bodian have published “Islam in the academic sphere in Senegal: the case of Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar (UCAD)”, Contemporary Islam. June 2016.

Ibrahim Yahaya Ibrahim has published “Are we animals?” Nigeriens respond to Foreign Policy’s ‘Dead Man’s Market’ in The Royal African Society‘s comment and analysis site, African Arguments. June 13, 2016.

Sahel Research Group members participated at the Dakar 2016 conference, jointly sponsored by the African Studies Association, the American Anthropology Association, CODESRIA, and the West African Research Center, Dakar, Senegal. June 1-4 2016. Fiona Mc Laughlin presented “Urban surfaces and the linguistic landscape: Writing, power, and ideology in Dakar’s public space.” Abdoulaye Kane presented “Muslim preachers, the media, and the public.” John Hames presented “Linguistic pride on the airwaves: Pulaar radio broadcasting on the Senegal-Mauritania border.” Ben Burgen did a flash presentation on his dissertation research, entitled “Brick by Brick: Building modern towns in the Senegal River Valley.”

Leonardo Villalón was an invited participant at a workshop on “Leading Institutional Reform in Francophone Africa,” hosted by the Innovations for Successful Societies program at Princeton University and cosponsored by the Agence Française de Développement (AFD) and Sciences Po. June 1-3, 2016.

Oumar Ba has published “Hissène Habré, Chad’s former dictator, just got a life sentence for crimes he committed in the 1980s” in The Washington Post‘s research blog: The Monkey Cage. June 1, 2016.

Dan Eizenga gave an invited presentation “Boko Haram: Origins, Ideology, and Influence” at the Wreckerling Center for the Defense Language Institute of the Presidio of Monterey, CA. May 19, 2016.

Renata Serra conducted research on the political economy of agriculture, and continued collaboration with colleagues at the Faculty of Economics (FASEG) at the Université de Cheikh Anta Diop in Dakar, Senegal during the month of May in 2016. She was accompanied by two UF students as part of the Research Tutorial Abroad program, administered by the Center for African Studies.

Sebastian Elischer has published “Old habits die hard: Elite behavior and the 2016 presidential elections in Niger” in Democracy in Africa Blog. May 5, 2016.

Ben Burgen gave an invited presentation “Regards croisés sur les interventions des migrants dans le développement local de la Vallée du Fleuve Sénegal” at the University Gaston Berger of Saint-Louis Senegal – Groupe d’Etudes et de Recherches sur les Migrations & Faits de Sociétés (GERM). May 2, 2016.

Ibrahim Yahaya Ibrahim has published “The 2016 Election in Niger: A Missed Opportunity?” in The Sahel Blog. March 30, 2016.

Abdourahmane Idriss, Sahel Research Group affiliate, has recently published a working paper “Wanting Knowledge: Social Science Research and the Demand Factor in a Low-income Country- The Case of Niger” in the Global Development Network’s Working Paper Series. February 2016.

Ibrahim Yahaya Ibrahim has posted “Niger-Expert Briefing” on the background to the upcoming elections in Niger in the African Research Institute. February 2016.

Eizenga, Daniel and Leonardo A. Villalón have published “Taking stock of Burkina Faso’s democracy after al-Qaeda attack” in The Washington Post’s research blog: The Monkey Cage. January 21, 2016.

Sarah McKune has published a new article “Impact of food aid on two communities in Niger” in the Emergency Nutrition Network (ENN)’s Field Exchange, a publication on nutrition and food security in emergencies and high burden contexts. January 2016.

2015

Ibrahim Yahaya Ibrahim has published “Niger: Another Coup?!” in The Sahel Blog. December 31, 2015.

Daniel Eizenga has published “Burkina Faso elections mark turning in country’s recent political turmoil” in The Washington Post’s research blog: The Monkey Cage. December 6, 2015.

Sebastian Elischer has published “After this month’s attack in Bamako, what do we know about fundamentalist Islam in Mali?” in The Washington Post’s research blog: The Monkey Cage. November 30, 2015.

Renata Serra gave a presentation on “The Perspective of a Pro-development Scholar” at the African Studies Association Annual Meeting, San Diego, CA. November 19-22, 2015.

Mamadou Bodian participated in the Roundtable “Islam and Politics in the Contemporary Sahel” at the African Studies Association Annual Meeting, San Diego, CA. November 19-22, 2015.

Ibrahim Yahaya Ibrahim participated in the Roundtable “Islam and Politics in the Contemporary Sahel” at the African Studies Association Annual Meeting, San Diego, CA. November 19-22, 2015.

Lina Benabdallah gave a presentation on “How Soft is Soft Power? Explaining Knowledge Diffusion in China-Africa Media Cooperation” at the African Studies Association Annual Meeting, San Diego, CA. November 19-22, 2015.

Oumar Ba and Daniel Eizenga of the Sahel Research Group published “Mobilizing for Elections: The Burkinabe Context.” In the APSA Africa Workshops: Alumni e-Newsletter. November 19.

Ibrahim Yahaya Ibrahim gave a presentation on “Democratization and Islamic Insurgency: Comparative analysis of MUJAO in Gao and Boko Haram in Zinder” at the UC Berkeley Center for African Studies, Berkeley, CA. November 3, 2015.

Ibrahim Yahaya Ibrahim gave a presentation on “Contentious Politics and Religious Discourse in the Sahel” at Pomona College, Claremont, CA. October 30, 2015.

Daniel Eizenga has published “Here’s how you bring down a ‘strongman’ government (without a civil war)” in The Washington Post ‘s research blog: The Monkey Cage. October 15.

Daniel Eizenga has published a new article “Burkina Faso (Vol 11)” in Africa Yearbook. Edited by Sebastian Elischer, Rolf Hofmeier, Andreas Mehler and Henning Melber. Brill, Boston 2015.

Daniel Eizenga has published two new articles “Why General Gilbert Diendéré is derailing the political transition in Burkina Faso” and “Burkina Faso: President Kafando is back in charge, but now what?” in Africa is a Country. In addition, his account of the coup and its aftermath as it has unfolded over the past weeks can be found in series of postings on the Sahel Blog.

Ibrahim Yahaya Ibrahim was an invited participant at the Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) workshop organized by the USAID West-Africa regional office in Accra (Ghana), 14-15 September 2015, where he gave a presentation on: “Understanding the Dynamics of Violent Extremism in the Sahel: A Comparative Study of Mauritania, Mali and Niger.”

Renata Serra of the Sahel Research Group convened a panel titled “Challenges of climate change in the Sahel” at the 3rd International Conference on Sustainable Development Practice (ICSD), Columbia University in NYC. September 23-24 2015. Renata Serra and Sarah McKune presented “Innovative approaches to climate change: A framework applied to Senegal.” Whitney M. Turientine, Ya Cor Ndione, and Irving Chan-Gomez presented “Increasing Climate Information Services for the Smallholder Farmers: The Case of Senegal.” Tzviatko Chiderov and Therese d’Auria Ryley presented “Drones in Africa? Targeted climate change mitigation in Senegal’s agro-pastoralist communities.” Rugiyatu Kane and Desiré Zongo presented “What could future Sahelian cities look like? A proposal for sustainable housing in Senegal and Burkina Faso.”

Mamadou Bodian was an invited participant at the Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) workshop organized by the USAID West-Africa regional office in Accra (Ghana), 14-15 September 2015, where he gave a presentation on: “Institutional Factors of Stability and Instability in Niger and Mali.”

Leonardo A. Villalón was an invited participant at a conference on “Religion and Radicalization in Africa,” held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands and cosponsored by the African Studies Center, Leiden. 10-11 September 2015, The Hague.

Ibrahim Yahaya Ibrahim presented “Explaining Participation in Jihadi Movements in the Context of State Collapse: The Case of the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa (MOJWA) in Mali” at the 2015 Minerva Annual Meeting in Washington DC. 10 September 2015.

Fiona Mc Laughlin presented “Multilingualism and movement in Africa” at the British Academy Conference: African Multilingualism: Motivations, Modalities, Movement and Meaning held at The Royal Society in London. 9 September 2015.

Sebastian Elischer has published a new article “Autocratic Legacies and State Management of Islamic Activism in Niger” in African Affairs. August 12, 2015.

Leonardo A. Villalón and Sebastian Elischer of the Sahel Research Group convened a panel titled “Institutional Reform, Religious Change and Stability in the Sahel” at the 6th European Conference on African Studies (ECAS), Paris. 8-10 July 2015. Mamadou Bodian presented “Islam and the Public Sphere in Senegal: Analysis of Discourses and Practices on Good Governance.” Dan Eizenga presented “Institutional Reform in Africa’s Hybrid Regimes: The Prospect for Democratic Change in Chad.” Idrissa Abdourahmane presented “Tipping the Balance: Secular and Sharia Law in Niger and Northern Nigeria.”

Ibrahim Yahaya Ibrahim gave an invited presentation at the Faculté des Sciences Sociales of the Université de Segou, Mali, on the topic of “Insurrection Islamique et Processus Socio-politiques au Sahel: Analyse comparative entre le Mali, le Niger et la Mauritanie.” June 15th 2015.

Leonardo Villalón gave an invited presentation on Niger and Chad, for a panel on “The Lake Chad Basin’s Security Landscape: Challenges and Responses.” Counterterrorism Partnership Fund Roundtable Series. Africa Center for Strategic Studies, National Defense University. Washington DC. 26 June 2015.

Isaie Dougnon has published a new article “Université futuriste de Kabala ou l’illusion du president IBK?” in Les Echos. 24 June 2015.

Leonardo Villalón gave an invited presentation, “Between Democracy and Violence: Islam and Politics in West Africa.” Africa Regional Seminar series, Defense Intelligence Agency. Washington DC. 20 May 2015.

Sebastian Elischer wrote a website article “Taking stock of ‘good coups’ in Africa” for the Washington Post, published on May 18, 2015.

Leonardo A. Villalón has published a new article “Cautious Democrats: Religious Actors and Democratization Processes in Senegal” in Politics and Religion. 23 April 2015.

Daniel Eizenga published a chapter: “Political Uncertainty in Burkina Faso,” in Democratic Contestation on the Margins: Regimes in Small African Countries. Edited by Claire Metelits and Stephanie Matti. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, 2015.

Leonardo Villalón gave an invited lecture, “Between Democracy and Violence: Islam and Politics in West Africa,” at Washington University in St. Louis, March 18, 2015.

Leonardo Villalón, Dan Eizenga and Mamadou Bodian met in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, between February 28 – March 5, 2015 for a week-long discussion about the Minerva-funded fieldwork. They also interviewed key actors about the political situation in Burkina Faso, including Sahel Research Group partners Augustine Loada, Abdoul Karim Sango and Issaka Herman Traoré, who are actively involved in the transition.

Renata Serra was invited to give a lecture on May 4, 2015 at the Université Cheikh Anta Diop in Dakar, Senegal, titled “Politques agricoles: les cas du sector cotton au Mali, Bénin et Burkina.” More than 50 students were in attendance, from the Master in Development Practice and two other professional Master programs.

Oumar Ba wrote a blog article, “Karim Wade, Senegal’s “Mister 15%” Goes to Jail” for the online blog Africa is a Country, March 26, 2015.

Ann Marie Wainscott wrote a website article “Morocco’s Nigerian Snub Reveals Complex West African Ambitions” for the IPI Global Observatory, published on March 26, 2015.

Leonardo Villalón gave an invited lecture, “Between Democracy and Violence: Islam and Politics in West Africa,” at Washington University in St. Louis, March 18, 2015.

Oumar Ba published “In the Name of Africa: Former President of Chad Hissène Habré will stand trial in Senegal” for the online blog Africa is a Country, March 3, 2015.

Dan Eizenga participated in the Rencontre National des Jeunes sur la question de la cohabitation pacifique in N’Djamena, Chad from February 23-25, 2015. The event brought together youth from organizations throughout the country and focused on breaking down barriers between different social groups.

Oumar Ba published “Former LRA commander Dominic Ongwen on Trial: Perpetrator or Victim?” for the online blog Africa is a Country, January 26, 2015.

Ibrahim Yahaya Ibrahim presented (via conference call) “Niger’s Security Challenges and institutional Capacities” for the US government’s Security Governance Initiative (SGI), organized by the US State Department, January 20, 2015.

Leonardo Villalón gave an invited presentation to brief the new US Ambassador to Senegal, Amb. James Zumwalt, on the political and religious situation in Senegal, at an Executive Analytical Exchange on Senegal and Guinea-Bissau at the US Department of State, Washington D.C., January 12, 2015.

2014

Oumar Ba published a blog article, “Francophonie: Do we still need an organization of France’s former colonies?” for the online blog Africa is a Country, December 10, 2014.

Dan Eizenga was invited to attend the Conférence Régional des Leaders Religieux on the 27th of November at the former National Assembly of Chad in N’djamena. The conference included religious leaders of all confessions from seven countries: Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, and Sudan. It focused on finding and establishing peaceful solutions to inter-religious violence in the region.

Ibrahim Yahaya Ibrahim presented, “Islamic Insurgency and Socio-religious and Political Processes in the Sahel (1990-2012): A comparative perspective between Mali Mauritania and Niger,” at the African Studies Association’s Annual Conference in Indianapolis, November 22, 2014.

Leonardo Villalón presented, “Religion and Politics in the Muslim Sahel,” at the Institute of African Studies, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, China, November 7, 2014.

Oumar Ba published a blog article, “Kenyatta went to The Hague: how to bet and win against the (international) system” for the online blog Africa is a Country, October 20, 2014.

Sarah McKune and Thérèse D’Auria Ryley published a blog article “Climate change and social networks in Senegal’s peanut basin,” for the Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CGIAR), October 2, 2014.

Leonardo Villalón gave an invited presentation, “Sufism, Politics, and the State: Observations from the Sahel,” at a workshop entitled “Pluralism: Sufi Thought and Practices,” organized by the Institute for Religion, Culture and Public Life at Columbia University in New York, September 12, 2014.

Ibrahim Yahaya Ibrahim gave an invited presentation, “Factors of Resilience in Niger: Maintaining a Precarious Stability in a Troubled Neighborhood,” at the US State Department “Executive Analytic Exchange on Niger” in Washington D.C., August 28, 2014.

Ibrahim Yahaya Ibrahim gave an invited presentation, “Overcoming an Islamic Insurgency: Resilience and Vulnerability in Mauritania,” at the US State Department “Executive Analytic Exchange on Mauritania” in Washington D.C., August 28, 2014.

Leonardo A. Villalón gave an invited presentation, “The Aftershocks of Mali: Continuity and Change in the Sahel,” to the Joint FAO Program’s Africa Course, sponsored by the Naval Postgraduate School, in Washington D.C., July 17, 2014.

Ibrahim Yahaya Ibrahim presented, “Problématique de l’Insurréction Islamique au Sahel: Cas de Boko Haram au Nord du Nigeria,” at l’Université Cheikh Anta Diop in Dakar, Sénégal, June 26, 2014.

Fiona McLaughlin presented a paper entitled “From postcolonial city to globalized metropolis: ‘Recycling’ French in Dakar” at the Conference Les métropoles francophones en temps de globalisation at l’Université de Paris Ouest – Nanterre, France from June 5-7, 2014.

Oumar Ba received grants from the Graduate School, the Center for African Studies and the Department of Political Science to carry out dissertation research on African cases before the International Criminal Court at the Hague in May and June 2014.

Ibrahim Yahaya Ibrahim presented, “Stability in the Heart of an Unstable Region: factors of resilience in Niger,” at the Conference “Saharan Crossroad: Views from the Desert-Edge” co-organized by the American Institute for Maghrib Studies (AIMS) and the West-African Research Association (WARA) in Oran, Algeria from May 31–June 3, 2014.

Fiona Mc Laughlin was awarded a Research Tutorial Abroad grant from the Center for International Business Education & Research (CIBER) and the Center for African Studies’ African Multidisciplinary Field Research Program for a project entitled “The linguistic ecology of Dakar’s markets.” She took two students to Senegal to work on different aspects of language in Dakar’s markets from May 19th to June 3rd, 2014. Claire Harter, an MA student in Linguistics, worked on the language of bargaining, while Tracy Lu, an undergraduate student in Linguistics, conducted interviews with Chinese merchants in Centenaire market.

Leonardo A. Villalón presented, “États laïcs, sociétés musulmanes, et la négociation de la démocratie au Sahel : Sénégal, Mali, Niger” at the Centre Des Etudes Islamiques De Kairouan, Université Ezzitouna in Kairouan, Tunisia, May 13, 2014, and at the Centre d’Etudes Maghrébines en Tunisie (CEMAT, an American Overseas Research Center) in Tunis, May 15, 2014.

Leonardo A. Villalón gave an invited presentation to US embassy personnel on “State resilience and fragility in the Sahel in the wake of the Mali Crisis,” at the US Embassy in Algeria, May 12, 2014.

Leonardo A. Villalón presented, “La crise malienne et la reconfiguration du politique en Afrique Sahelienne” at L’École Nationale Supérieure des Sciences Politiques in Algiers, Algeria organized by the Centre d’Etudes Maghrébines en Algérie (CEMA an American Overseas Research Center) May 11, 2014.

Leonardo A. Villalón gave an invited presentation on “Réformes institutionelles, mobilisations sociales, et fragilisation des États au Sahel” at the African Center for Research and Study of Terrorism, an institution of the African Union in Algiers, Algeria, May 11, 2014.
Oumar Ba published the following book review: West Africa and the U.S. War on Terror, by George Klay Kieh and Kelechi Kalu. Review by Oumar Ba. Political Studies Review, Vol.12, No.2 (May 2014), p.224.
Fiona Mc Laughlin presented a paper entitled “Linguistic war-scapes of northern Mali” at the workshop Linguistic Landscapes 6: Hope and Precarity, hosted by the University of the Western Cape in Cape Town, South Africa from 9-11 April, 2014.

Leonardo A. Villalón gave an invited presentation on “Democracy, Political Crisis, and the Reframing of Political Authority in the Sahel,” at the conference “Beyond the Islamic Public Sphere in Africa.” The Sohaib and Sara Abbasi Program in Islamic Studies, Stanford University. 4 April 2014.

Dan Eizenga published the following book review: Multiethnic Coalitions in Africa: Business Financing of Opposition Election Campaigns, by Leonardo R. Arriola. Review by Daniel J. Eizenga. African Studies Review, Vol. 57, No. 1 (April 2014), pp. 139-140.

Several members of the Sahel Research Group gave invited presentations at an intellectual exchange on “Socio-Economic Trends in the Sahel” co-sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and the National Intelligence Council, 20 March, 2013 in Washington D.C. Dan Eizenga presented, “Prospects for Economic Growth in Chad.” Ibrahim Yahaya Ibrahim presented, “Islam and Islamic Insurgency in the Sahel: the Current Debates”. Leonardo A. Villalón presented, “Socio-Religious Trends and Democratization in the Sahel”

Ann Wainscott published the following article with ISLAMiCommentary based at Duke University: “Morocco Steps Up Leadership in Religious and Security Affairs in W. Africa.” ISLAMiCommentary, 16 March, 2014.

2013

Ann Wainscott gave the presentation “Introduction to Islam” to Nosh and Knowledge, St. Louis, MO. 9 February 2014.
Dan Eizenga presented the paper “Institutional Trust, Turnovers and the Freedom of the Press: Democratic Consolidation in sub-Saharan Africa” at the Annual Conference of the Southern Political Science Association in New Orleans, Louisiana. 9 January 2014.
Leonardo A. Villalón published “Negotiating Islam in the Age of Democracy: Senegal in Comparative Regional Perspective,” in Tolerance, Democracy, and Sufis in Senegal. Edited by Mamadou Diouf. New York: Columbia University Press. 2013, pp. 239-266.
Sarah McKune is working with a team of researchers and field staff from South Dakota State University to translate research on pastoral adaptation to climate change in the Sahel into development interventions that address nutrition and gender inequity among pastoral herders in Senegal and Mali. She spent two weeks in the field in December 2012 and will return in January and May 2014 to train and work with local implementing partners.
Leonardo A. Villalón published “Islam, the State, and Politics in sub-Saharan Africa,” in The Oxford Handbook of Islam and Politics, edited by John L. Esposito and Emad El-Din Shahin. Oxford University Press, 2013, pp. 379-393.
Dan Eizenga presented “Executive Power in Times of Crisis: Democratization in Burkina Faso and Chad” to the Students in African Studies Association at the University of Florida Gainesville, Florida. 4 December 2013.
Leonardo A. Villalón published “Muslim Politics in West Africa,” in the Routledge Handbook of African Politics, edited by Nic Cheeseman, David M. Anderson and Andrea Scheibler. London: Routledge Publishers, 2013, pp. 133-146.Dan Eizenga recently published the following book review: Historical Dictionary of Niger, fourth edition, by Abdourahmane Idrissa and Samuel Decalo. African Studies Quarterly, Vol. 14, No. 1; 2 (November 2013), pp. 139-140.Several Members of the Sahel Research Group gave a panel at the Annual Meeting of the African Studies Association in Baltimore, Maryland. 22 November 2013. Leonardo A. Villalón presented “The Malian Collapse and the Reconfiguration of Sahelian States.” Ibrahim Yahaya Ibrahim presented “Islamic Insurgencies in the Sahel: Factors of Resilience and Vulnerability in Niger and Mauritania.” Dan Eizenga presented “Resilience in the Face of Crisis: A Comparison of State Response in Chad and Burkina Faso.” Mamadou Bodian presented “The Consequences of the Malian Crisis in Senegal: Political Response, Public Debate, and Institutional Resilience.”
Ann Wainscott participated in the Project on Middle East Political Science Junior Scholars Book Development at Yale University. 15 November 2013.
Ann Wainscott presented “Introduction to Islam” to The Lifelong Learning Institute, Washington University, St. Louis, MO. 12 November 2013.
Leonardo A. Villalón gave an invited presentation on “The Politics of Institutional Reform and State Resilience in the Sahel,” at the workshop: “Reframing the Sahel as a Political Space.” Johns Hopkins University, 8-9 November 2013.
Ann Wainscott presented at Islamic Institutions of Higher Learning, Duke University. 17-19 October 2013.
Leonardo A. Villalón was interviewed by the Ouagadougou-based bi-monthly paper Mutations. 30 August 2013.
Dan Eizenga presented “Elite Interviews in Burkina Faso and Chad” to the Comparative Politics Field Research Colloquium at the University of Florida. Gainesville, Florida. 23 August 2013.
Leonardo A. Villalón gave an invited presentation on religion and politics in Burkina Faso, at the US Department of State’s Executive Analytical Exchange on Burkina Faso to brief the new US ambassador to the country, Ambassador Tulinabo Mushingi, 26 August 2013.
Dan Eizenga was selected as a Fellow for the APSA Africa Workshop: Religion and Politics in Comparative Perspective in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. The workshop took place from July 1 to July 12, 2013.
Leonardo A. Villalón was a co-organizer and leader of the 2013 American Political Science Association (APSA) Africa workshop, on the theme of “Religion and Politics in Comparative Perspective.” Sponsored by the APSA and the Institute for Governance and Development, Burkina Faso. Ouagadougou, July 1-12, 2013.
Sarah McKune is currently working with a group of researchers and scientists as part of the CGIAR’s Climate Change Agriculture and Food Security Project to develop appropriate evaluation tools to assess climate services. She participated in a roundtable meeting of experts in June 2013 and will travel to Senegal in January 2013 to conduct participatory training of West Africa assessment team members to enable M&E and baseline collection within the region.
Dan Eizenga was awarded a Graduate Student Summer Research Award from the Political Science Department and a pre-Dissertation Research Award from the Center for African Studies at the University of Florida for research in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso and N’Djamena, Chad during the summer of 2013.
Isaie Dougnon published “Mali’s Bankrupt Democracy: A Reflection on the Limits of Cultural Capital Politics.”Fieldsights – Hot Spots, Cultural Anthropology Online, June 10, 2013.
Ann Wainscott presented the poster “Regulating Religion through Public School Curricula: The Case of Morocco” at the Religion, Identity and Politics conference. The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. 10-11 May 2013.
Leonardo A. Villalón gave an invited presentation, “Grappling with Democracy in Muslim West Africa,” at a panel on “Beyond Democracy: People, Power and the State in Muslim Cultures,” at the conference: “Geographies of Power: Justice, Revolution, and Cultural Imagination.” Penn State University, 26-27 April 2013.
Leonardo A. Villalón gave an invited keynote lecture, “The Security Crisis and the Reconfiguration of Governance in the Sahelian States,” at the conference: “Governance and Security in the Sahelian States: From Crisis to Sustainable Recovery.” Johns Hopkins University, School of Advanced International Studies. Washington D.C. 11-12 April 2013.
Leonardo A. Villalón was an invited participant at a small group discussion for policymakers, on “The Tuareg: A Nation without Borders?” Center for Naval Analysis (CAN). Alexandria, VA. 22 March 2013.
Isaie Dougnon published “In a Time of Crisis, Why Are Academics So Quiet?”University World News, March 9, 2013.
2012
Isaie Dougnon published « Les élites, les masses populaires et les forces armées : Les changements politiques et les conflits en Afrique au Sud du Sahara. » In Klute Georg & Birgit Embalo, The problem of violence : local conflict settlement in contemporary Africa. 2012. Köln: Rüdiger Köppe Verlag, pp 71-92.

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