Rebecca Mignot-Mahdavi’s report explores France’s military strategy against jihadist groups, particularly in the Sahel, revealing a lack of transparent legal justification. Unlike the U.S., which has openly articulated legal frameworks for its war on terror, France maintains silence, although its strategic documents and actions imply an extensive interpretation of international law. The author argues that France mirrors U.S. legal narratives by stretching the boundaries of jus ad bellum and jus in bello to legitimize ongoing military operations. Drawing on French parliamentary records and strategic reports, the paper highlights how France frames its fight as a generalized and indefinite war against jihadist groups. This implicit legal approach allows France to operate across borders and time without explicit legal constraint. Mignot-Mahdavi warns that such legal ambiguity normalizes endless conflict and undermines accountability, challenging the international rule of law.

Governance, Security, Terrorism, Counter terrorism, Crise humanitaire

In her interview, Amayel Diop, a lecturer and researcher at Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar, discusses the challenges of women's participation in Senegalese politics. She highlights the difficulty women face in balancing family life and political engagement, particularly due to political meetings often being scheduled at times incompatible with their domestic responsibilities. Ms. Diop critiques the 2010 parity law, believing it has not achieved its goals due to a lack of enforcement mechanisms. She urges women to move beyond secondary roles and take on leadership positions. Emphasizing the importance of intellectual and financial empowerment, she advocates for greater solidarity among women to overcome persistent sociocultural barriers.

Inequality, Gender, Women, Political participation

This article features an interview with Ndioro Ndiaye, former Senegalese minister, who emphasizes that gender parity does not equate to true equality. She highlights the historical role of pioneering Senegalese women such as Caroline Faye Diop and Maïmouna Kane in advancing women's emancipation. Ndiaye points out that while parity laws have been adopted in Senegal, their enforcement—particularly in appointive positions—remains inadequate. She calls for a reform of legislative frameworks to ensure effective equality and urges women to actively prepare for upcoming local elections. The article underscores that symbolic parity must be accompanied by real opportunities and power-sharing mechanisms to achieve lasting gender equity in public and political life.

Women, Parity, Equality, Empowerment

Mauritania's "National Digital Security Strategy 2022-2025," developed by the Ministry of Digital Transformation, Innovation, and Modernization of the Administration, aims to strengthen cybersecurity and combat cybercrime. Recognizing the growing reliance on digital technologies and associated threats, the strategy focuses on six strategic objectives:​ Establish institutions dedicated to digital security.​ Protect Mauritania's cyberspace and critical infrastructures.​ Enhance mechanisms to combat cybercrime.​ Raise awareness and provide training on cybersecurity issues.​ Promote national collaboration in digital security.​ Develop regional and international cooperation.​ The implementation of this strategy is overseen by the High Council for Digital (HCN), supported by the National Cybersecurity Agency. It aligns with the 2014 Malabo Convention on cybersecurity and personal data protection, to which Mauritania is a signatory.

Public Administration, Numérique, Cybercriminalité, Cybersecurity

The article "Maintaining Patriarchal Order through Silencing: Literary Territories of Female Subordination in Cameroon" by Nadine Machikou examines the controversy triggered by the debut novel of Marzouka Oummou Hani, a high school student from northern Cameroon. Her fictional narrative addresses patriarchal violence in a setting modeled on the real village of Idool. The backlash, including a lawsuit and state mediation, unveils the institutional mechanisms used to silence women’s voices. While the novel is defended as fiction, authorities push for a revision and public apology, reinforcing patriarchal control over female expression. Based on both ethnographic research and literary analysis, the article highlights how literature becomes a site of feminist resistance, where themes of gender, age, religion, and class intersect. It also sheds light on the symbolic and political forces that shape who is allowed to speak, write, and define social reality in contemporary Cameroonian society.

Governance, Women, Discrimination

The report titled "Security Sector Reform and Governance in Senegal," written by Colonel Babacar Diouf and published by the African Security Sector Network (ASSN) on January 22, 2024, examines the historical evolution and current state of Security Sector Governance (SSG) in Senegal. It analyzes key components of the sector, including the Army, Gendarmerie, Police, Special Forces, Intelligence Services, and the Penitentiary Sector. The article highlights major reforms undertaken since independence to strengthen the capacities of the armed forces and underscores contemporary challenges the country faces in terms of security.

Governance, Security, Réforme

In this episode, hosts Enrica Picco and Rinaldo Depagne discuss with Jean-Pierre Olivier de Sardan, a Franco-Nigerien anthropologist, and Jean-Hervé Jezequel, Sahel Project Director at International Crisis Group, to assess the first year of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES). They address the ongoing deterioration of the security situation in the central Sahel, exemplified by the September 17, 2024 attack in Bamako. The guests examine the similarities and differences in the new forms of governance emerging in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, as well as the consequences of breaking ties with Western partners and turning to new international allies.

Governance, Security

The article "Performing (In)securities in West Africa: Territorial meshing and local participation in cross-border security" by Charline Kopf, published on December 19, 2023, by Presses universitaires de Louvain in the journal Anthropologie & développement, analyzes the International Organization for Migration's (IOM) border community engagement program in Senegal's border regions. Based on ethnographic fieldwork conducted in 2019, the article examines various initiatives aimed at enhancing cooperation between security forces and local communities, such as awareness-raising theater performances, comics, and a crisis simulation exercise. These "territorial meshing" practices promote a border control culture that shifts security responsibility to citizens. However, the author highlights that the emphasis on "local communities" participation contrasts with the global standardization of spaces and temporal logics of prevention and preparedness, creating tension between envisioned scenarios and their actual unfolding, thus opening space for criticism and questioning

Governance, Migration, Boundary, Security

The article titled “Defending the Village and Fighting for the Land: Armed Mobilization of Self-Defense Groups and Agricultural Labor in the Dogon Country, Central Mali” by Ibrahima Poudiougou, published in 2024 in the Revue internationale des études du développement, examines how armed self-defense groups affect rural communities in central Mali. Focusing on the June 8, 2022 attack on Makou village—where 350 jihadists displaced 422 households—the author explores how the rise of militias like Dan Nan Ambassagou has normalized violence and reshaped local sociopolitical dynamics. The article highlights the dual identity of these fighters, who are both peasants and combatants, managing agricultural work alongside armed resistance. It also delves into kinship-based solidarities and local agreements, which structure resistance and power relations in the Dogon region. The study offers insights into the complex intersection of security, rural livelihoods, and community resilience in conflict settings.

Governance, Agriculture, Security, Violence, Groupes armés non étatiques, Selfdefense