Security, Democratisation, and Elite Politics in the Sahel
Funder: ESRC
PI: Dr Eloïse Bertrand
Duration: February 2023 – April 2026
A spiralling crisis is unfolding in the Sahel - which extends from Senegal to Chad, and from the Sahara Desert to the northern parts of Nigeria and Cameroon. Violent extremism has been spreading through the West African region, fuelling humanitarian emergencies and political upheavals that have threatened recent democratic progress. Governance and security dynamics are closely connected, yet their mutual effects and the role of political elites in shaping these dynamics is still poorly understood. This project aims to identify ways to simultaneously promote security and democratic outcomes, through original and collaborative interdisciplinary research.
This research addresses how democratisation, security, and elite politics intersect in Burkina Faso, Niger, and Nigeria: three countries spanning across two conflict zones (the Central Sahel and Lake Chad Basin) and displaying distinct historical trajectories, but facing similar challenges to their security and democratic prospects.
We are conducting collaborative, qualitative research in these three countries to investigate the mutual effects of democratisation processes and institutions, security approaches, and elites' political survival strategies, and the implications of these findings for domestic and international policymakers' engagement in the region. Based upon key informant interviews with politicians, civil society activists, military officers, diplomats, and other stakeholders, and content analysis of media reports, government communication, legislation and grey literature, the project combines in-depth case studies with a comparative approach cutting across linguistic cleavages (between Francophone and Anglophone Africa) and conflict zones (Lake Chad Basin and Central Sahel).
Dr Bertrand is heading a research team comprised of three West Africa post-doctoral research associates: Dr Onoseme Fortune Afatakpa (Lecturer I at Dominion University, Ibadan, Nigeria), Dr Samiratou Dipama, (Lecturer in Political Sciences, University Thomas Sankara, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso), and Dr Maman Lawali Moutari Lawali (Teaching fellow, Swiss UMEF University of Niger and University Abdou Moumouni, Niamey, Niger). The project is implemented in collaboration with the Institut Général Marc Tiémoko Garango pour la Gouvernance et le Développement (IGD) in Burkina Faso, the Department of Peace, Security, and Humanitarian Studies at the University of Ibadan in Nigeria, and the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) in the UK.
The project's findings will contribute to the evidence base informing civil society groups' and international partners' engagement in the region. The project will lead to the publication of a book, a series of peer-reviewed articles, policy-briefs, and op-eds. Findings will also be disseminated through workshops and webinars bringing together academics and policymakers, and major conferences in the UK and in Africa. Overall, this research will enable scholars, analysts, and policymakers to understand the mutual effect security and democratisation dynamics have on each other, ultimately contributing to addressing the challenges faced by Sahelian countries.