The UF Sahel Research Group is co-organizing a special day of talks on the Sahara in collaboration with the UF Center for African Studies, Department of Language, Literatures and Cultures, Department of Anthropology, and the Université Internationale de Rabat.
How do markets, roads, and borders shape the structure of the West African livestock trade network? In this new paper published in Applied Geography, SRG Lacey Harris-Coble and colleagues show that traders rely on a few relatively stable markets and a handful of transnational corridors. Livestock trade is also highly vulnerable to border closures. Using trade […]
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The Routledge Handbook of African Borderlands is out! Edited by SRG Olivier Walther, Inocent Moyo and Isabella Soi, the 450-page book features 30 chapters from 46 global authors. It explores how African borders function as complex, dynamic spaces shaped by precolonial histories, regional integration, and security challenges.
We are excited to share a new contribution to the study of African politics from Leonardo Villalón. In the recently released volume, Democracy in Sub-Saharan Africa, 2000-2025: A Political Historical Reassessment, Dr. Villalón offers a deep, reflective analysis of Niger’s democratic journey over the last thirty years. Edited by Corrado Tornimbeni and Timothy Scarnecchia, this […]
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Two new blog posts from colleagues Dr. Steven Radil and Dr. Olivier Walther reveal that local violence is not a random series of events, but a “path-dependent” system with a memory that shapes its future. By analyzing thousands of conflict zones across Africa, they demonstrate that while most outbreaks are brief, others become entrenched in […]
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SRG-ICG Symposium: Taking Stock of the Sahelian Jihads: Motivations, Impacts, Responses 4-5 April 2025 Gainesville, FL Long a peaceful—if poor and underdeveloped—region, the Sahel has tragically become the epicenter of militant Islamist activity in Africa since the collapse of Mali in 2012. In the crucible of a facilitating international environment and domestic state weakness, violent […]
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The Sahel Research Group at the University of Florida joins colleagues around the world in “Standing up for Science” in the face of the current political challenges. On 28 February 2025, with no advance notice, we were informed that our research grant from the U.S. Department of Defense Minerva Initiative on the impact of climate […]
Annual meeting 2024, Chicago, IL University of Florida Sahel Research Group talks Thursday December 12 10:15-12:00, Purdue. Author Meets Critic: Faith-based Student Activism in Togo and Benin: Muslims and Christians on University Campuses. With K.D. Thompson, Frédérick Madore, Ebenezer Obadare, Leonardo Villalón and Marius Kothor 1:30-3:15, Denver. Regime Protectors, Counter-Terrorism Forces, or Coup Plotters? Understanding […]
2nd Annual SRG/International Crisis Group Symposium on the Sahel 17 April 2023 Gainesville, FL More than a decade after the March 2012 coup and government collapse in Mali, the Sahelian political landscape has been radically transformed, characterized by a new governance context that has been largely shaped by rising insecurity, military coups, and the failure […]
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Coming up on 25 October Dr. Bruce Whitehouse from Lehigh University will be talking about Marriage and Women’s Rights in Mali. His presentation will draw from his latest book titled: Enduring Polygamy. Plural Marriage and Social Change in African Metropolis. The seminar will take place in the SRG office, 109 Rolfs Hall from 11:45 to […]
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