Gabrielle Reid, explores how kidnappings perpetrated by Islamist militantsin the Sahel re-emerged as a threat in 2015 as a result of protractedinsecurity in northern Mali. Looking ahead, various political evacuationorders are likely to be issued in Africa over the coming year and will requireclose monitoring.
The Kenya Defence Forces' highest loss in the recent Al Shabaab attack at El Adde has again rallied calls for a Kenyan withdrawal, but the military force stillhas a significant role to play in Somalia, writes Gabrielle Reid
The second quarter of 2017 has seen a resurgence in Somalia-based pirate attacks against commercial vessels. This comes as key partners prematurely scale back counterpiracy operations despite onshore drivers of this maritime threat, writes Gabrielle Reid
According to Reporters San Frontières (RSF), at the start of 2017, 178 journalists were imprisoned across the world, with 23 of them in Sub-Saharan Africa. With a worsening conflict in South Sudan and a state of emergency facilitating a greater government clampdown in Ethiopia, the number of cases is likely to remain high.
While the latest alert issued by the US Embassy in Pretoria has many concerned about the terrorist threat in the country, the warning has also raised questions around South Africa's capability to counter any future threat, writes Gabrielle Reid.
The attack on Garissa University College has raised concerns over the readiness of Kenyan security and intelligence services to combat the terrorism threat in the country, and whether the authorities have selected the most appropriate avenue to address growing insecurity, writes Gabrielle Reid.
Recent instability in Burkina Faso has limited the government's ability to respond tokidnappings, particularly given uncertainty surrounding the future of the country's specialforces unit, the Régiment de la Sécurité Présidentielle (RSP), writes Gabrielle Reid.
The latest attack by Al Mourabitoun against a Bamako-based restaurant has highlighted the lack of security in northern Mali. More needs to be done to counter terrorism in the country, writes Gabrielle Reid.
The regionalisation of Boko Haram's insurgency is a major security concern for West Africa, but it represents a reactionary strategy to internal and external pressures rather than a reflection of the group's territorial ambitions, writes Gabrielle Reid.