ZEF Public Lecture: Regional Approaches to Dealing with Armed Groups in the Sahel
May 16, 2024 | 13:30 h - 14:30 h
We'd like to invite you to our upcoming ZEF Public Lecture!
Topic: Regional Approaches to Dealing with Armed Groups in the Sahel
Speakers: Dr. Claudia Breitung, Technical Advisor/Senior Researcher, Bonn International Centre for Conflict Studies (BICC), Milena Berks, Researcher / Project Officer, BICC and Dr. Boubacar Haidara, Senior Researcher, BICC.
How to join
The lecture will be held in hybrid mode (zoom and in-person at ZEF).
You can join us in-person at ZEF, first floor, ZEF Conference Room, Genscherallee 3, 53113 Bonn,
or online via Zoom: https://uni-bonn.zoom-x.de/meeting/register/u5ModOGgqDIuG91bM5nEWdwEwGSAJ5E85qPr
Abstract:
In the presentation researchers from the Bonn International Centre for Conflict Studies (BICC) will share preliminary insights from a project implemented jointly by BICC, the African Union (AU) and the Department of Peace Operations (DPO) titled ‘Regional Approaches to Dealing with Armed Groups in the Sahel’. The project examines central characteristics of conflict systems in selected border regions of the Sahel (among others, the Lake Chad Basin) and analyses the role of non-state armed groups in these conflict systems (ranging from vigilante groups to jihadist groups). After a reflection on recent trends involving these actors, the BICC researchers will reflect upon policy and programmatic responses currently implemented in the examined border complexes and provide ideas on how current and future policies would need to be (re)designed to deal with conflict root causes more effectively.
Speakers:
Dr. Claudia Breitung, Technical Advisor/Senior Researcher, BICC
Since 2011 Dr. Claudia Breitung has worked for the Bonn International Center for Conflict Studies (BICC) in various capacities (technical advisor, project manager) with a focus on Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration Processes (DDR) and weapons and ammunition management (WAM). She is currently managing one of BICC’s research projects which explores regional approaches towards dealing with armed groups in the Sahel. Before joining BICC, she was a research assistant at the Institute of Sociology at the University of Duisburg-Essen. For the Institute for Development and Peace (INEF) she conducted research on development cooperation in post-conflict situations. Her Ph.D. thesis focused on organisational behaviour of humanitarian agencies in their interaction with rebel groups.
https://www.bicc.de/Staff/Claudia-Breitung~s11562
Milena Berks, Researcher / Project Officer, BICC
Milena is a researcher/technical advisor at the Bonn International Center for Conflict Studies (BICC). Before joining BICC Milena worked at the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) in New York. There, she supported small arms control initiatives in Africa with national and regional partners, including the African Union and the Regional Centre on Small Arms (RECSA). She also worked as an Advisor on small arms control at BICC, engaging in regional small arms control initiatives in Africa, notably physical security and stockpile management (PSSM) and weapons and ammunition management (WAM). Milena also worked as a DDR Officer for the UN Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) and the Belgian Development Cooperation in Niger. She holds a Master degree in International Relations from the University of Louvain (UCL) and is pursuing her PhD on the Reintegration of former combatants in Niger.
https://www.bicc.de/Staff/Milena-Berks~s11507
Dr. Boubacar Haidara, Senior Researcher, BICC
Before joining BICC, Boubacar Haidara taught at the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Ségou (Mali) (2018-2022). He has also carried out a number of research missions for several institutions: World Bank Group, Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, The Clingendael Institute, etc. Boubacar holds a PhD in political science & political geography, University Bordeaux Montaigne and laboratory ‘’Les Afriques dans le Monde’’ (LAM), Institute of Political Studies of Bordeaux, France (2015), a Master’s in International Management, Paris School of Tourism & Communication, Paris, France (2012) and a Master’s in Geopolitics, University of Paris Sorbonne-Paris 4, Paris, France (2010). He did his Bachelor's in Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Clermont-Ferrand II, France, in 2008.
https://bicc.de/Staff/Boubacar%20Haidara/Boubacar-Haidara~s11802
