This article analyses the patterns of violence produced by the competition for the control of transport infrastructure between state and non-state actors in West Africa from 2000 to 2024. Using disaggregated road and conflict data from the Global Roads Inventory Project (GRIP) and Armed Conflict Location & Event Data (ACLED) project, the paper first shows […]
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Trade networks for agricultural products play an important role in agricultural development and regional integration in West Africa. However, mapping these networks is challenging due to the lack of a comprehensive analytical framework that supports evidence-based policymaking. This policy note represents a first attempt to integrate the spatial, social and temporal aspects that influence trade […]
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Associate Professor Olivier Walther received an OECD grant for a project that will explore the diffusion of Jihadist groups from the Sahel to the Gulf of Guinea in West Africa. This project is part of a long-term collaboration between the UF Sahel Research Group and the OECD Sahel and West Africa Club, which started when […]
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Political violence is very irregularly distributed across time. Periods of relative calm are often followed by massive waves of attacks. Violent events are relatively rare, sparse and concentrated, making it difficult to evaluate whether violence is actually increasing or decreasing. To overcome these limitations, UF Geography Associate Professor Olivier Walther developed a new dashboard in […]
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Walther, O., Radil, S., Russell, D. (2024). The spatial conflict life cycle in Africa. Annals of the American Association of Geographers, DOI: 10.1080/24694452.2024.2428812. ABSTRACT: The growing availability of geospatial data that document both how violent actors are connected and where their attacks take place offers a unique opportunity to produce a more integrated approach to […]
WALTHER – Identifying local conflict trends in North and West Africa Radil, Steven and Walther, Olivier Article first published online: 9 March 2024 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1787/24142026 ABSTRACT: Several states in West Africa have experienced significant episodes of political violence since the early 2010s. These have included civil wars, religiously motivated terrorism, separatist insurgencies, military coups and […]
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WALTHER, RUSSELL – The fragmentation of conflict networks in North and West Africa Walther, Olivier and Russell, David Article first published online: 09 March 2024 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1787/24142026 ABSTRACT: African armed conflicts involve a myriad of state forces, rebel groups and extremist organisations bound by rapidly changing alliances and rivalries. Organisations that were allies one day […]
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WALTHER – The impact of transport policies on road accessibility in Ghana Susanna Goewey, Olivier J. Walther, Paul Nugent Article first published online: 01 February 2024 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/19376812.2024.2309385 ABSTRACT: This article examines the impact of transport policies on road accessibility in Ghana. To measure accessibility gains, the article applies a model that compares the area […]
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Walther – Border studies at 45 Olivier Walther, Anne-Laure Amilhat Szary, Chiara Brambilla, Emmanuel Brunet-Jailly, Martin Klatt, Jussi P. Laine, Inocent Moyo, Thomas Ptak, Steven Radil Article first published online: 14 May 2023 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polgeo.2023.102909 ABSTRACT: This essay takes stock of the work conducted in border studies so far and discusses some of the challenges […]
WALTHER, RUSSELL, PFLAUM – Urbanisation and Conflicts in North and West Africa Olivier J. Walther, Steven M. Radil, David G. Russell, Matthew Pflaum, Alexander Thurston First published online: 21 Mar 2023 OECD Report DOI: 10.1787/3fc68183-en ABSTRACT: North and West Africa are undergoing rapid urbanisation. While cities and urban areas have always been sites of conflict, […]
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