Sahel Research Group at the University of Florida

Latest News Brief on the Sahel — Click here to read and subscribe!

Sahel Research Group Weekly Newsletter 511 Fishermen returning with their catch, Nouakchott, Mauritania

Latest News Brief on the Sahel — Click here to read and subscribe!

Weekly News from the Sahel

We wish everyone a happy Tabaski. Eid Mubarak!

Latest News Brief on the Sahel — Please note that will we be publishing on a biweekly schedule for the summer. Look out for the next news brief on 29 May.

Weekly News from the Sahel Boko Haram: Chad Strikes Back, Dozens of Nigerian Fisherman Feared Dead CourrierInternational BBC TheKoreaHerald LeMonde RFI

The Project on Middle East Political Science (POMEPS) has just released POMEPS Studies 59: Political Movements in North Africa and the Sahel.

This new collection explores the evolving political dynamics, social movements, and security landscapes across the region. We are especially proud to see great contributions from our own Sahel Research Group members!

🔹 Baba Adou: Beyond “Official Islam”: How State Islamization Blunted Islamist Opposition in Mauritania
🔹 David Russell: Areas of Operations: A new methodology for tracking the geography of armed group activity

This publication stems from a workshop that featured excellent discussions, thoughtfully moderated by Leonardo Villalon and Olivier Walther.

You can read the full issue: https://pomeps.org/pomeps-studies-59-political-movements-in-north-africa-and-the-sahel

Latest News Brief on the Sahel — Click on link to read and subscribe!

Weekly News from the Sahel

West African states respond to insurgencies by building city walls and fortifying borders. While these fortifications provide short-term protection, they can also deepen rural insecurity and civilian vulnerability

The resurgence of fortified landscapes in West Africa - African Networks Lab West African states respond to insurgencies by building city walls and fortifying borders, balancing protection with rural vulnerabilities.

For our last Sahel Seminar of the semester, Baba Adou and Olivier Walther led a discussion on the current tensions on the Mali–Mauritania border, focusing on how they have intensified since the post-coup reorientation in Mali. They argued that while cross-border communities have long managed everyday coexistence through informal arrangements, recent tensions are increasingly driven by state-level disputes over sovereignty, security, and regional alignment.