Transnational conflict in Africa
This paper examines the extent and pattern of conflict between states and across borders, how it may be researched and the implications for policy
Abstract
This memo explores transnational conflict in Africa. Section I is concerned with the wide (and under-acknowledged) extent and pattern of conflict between states and across borders, and how it may be researched. Section II is concerned with the implications for policy.
The key research finding is that most armed conflicts in Africa have a significant transnational element. This inverts the standard trope that the vast majority of African conflicts are internal and not inter-state. Country specialists focusing on individual conflicts have made this observation for years: what is new is that the Transnational Conflict in Africa (TCA) dataset shows for the first time that this is a general phenomenon. This allows for a comparative analysis of the extent, patterns and drivers of transnational conflict, which allows us to move beyond imprecise metaphors such as conflict ‘spillover’, into a more systematic representation of the phenomenon, that puts transnational political rivalries at the centre of the story of conflict in the continent.
This work is part of the Conflict Research Programme managed by the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and funded by the UK Department for International Development
Citation
De Waal, Alex, Twagiramungu, Noel, Duursma, Allard and Gebrehiwot Berhe, Mulugeta (2019) Transnational conflict in Africa. Conflict Research Programme Policy Memo. Conflict Research Programme, London School of Economics and Political Science, London, UK.
Link
Transnational conflict in Africa (PDF, 191KB)