Reflections on Politics in the Sahel
I teach and do research on the Sahel at the Brussels School of International Studies. Below, I’m compiling stuff I have written or said, alone or with colleagues, on the Sahel in various media. I share day to day thoughts and relevant links on Twitter. Academic publications are available on Academia (not updated anymore: it used to be cool, now it’s not) and ResearchGate. Media contributions or reports below appear in reverse chronological order (i.e. most recent on top). Last update: 17 Dec 2019

17 Dec 2019. Here’s a long interview I gave to Jean-Dominique Merchet for L’Opinion on the political viability of the French intervention in the Sahel (gated)
11 Dec 2019. I was interviewed by the BBC on what’s behind the expulsion of the MINUSMA’s head of Kidal office by Malian authorities. I discovered when listening to the replay that I’m a “she” (“Yvonne”, you know). OK, why not but the BBC could have done their homework. Itw starts at 6'18
8 Dec 2019. I’m cited in this portrait of JNIM leader Iyad Ag Ghaly by Boris Thiolay (gated)
2 Dec 2019. I was interviewed by Fernando Eichenberg for the Brazilian daily newspaper O Globo on the French intervention in the Sahel. The interview was conducted in French then translated into Portuguese. The article published in O Globo is gated but Fernando kindly shared a link from his personal page
28 Nov 2019. I shared thoughts with Philippe Chapleau of Ouest-France on the future of the French military operation Barkhane in the Sahel after the death of thirteen French soldiers in a helicopter crash in Mali. I am pasting the Tamoudre link below as Ouest-France’s link doesn’t seem to be working with Medium (if you don’t know Tamoudre yet, have a look, it’s a fantastic resource — in French)
28 Nov 2019. I wrote something mean using naughty language about French media on twitter, which was then picked by the Journal du Mali, for posterity. I have every reason to be proud to see my ideas being disseminated :)

4 Nov 2019. An interview for BBC Newsday, on the security situation in Mali. Starts at 27'
2 Nov 2019. I comment on the deadly attack against Malian troops based in Indelimane (Menaka region) on Nov, 1st
And here is the long version, kindly shared with me by Marie-Pierre Olphand:
7 Oct 2019. I joined Francis Laloupo’s “Grand Débat” on Radio Africa to discuss the latest political and security developments in Mali, and notably the role of the UN. Not sure I’ll do more live interviews as I’m doing really bad in this exercise
9 Aug 2019. Rémi Carayol offers a great piece on Mali’s use of militias for COIN purposes and security governance over the last three decades, for which I was interviewed
11 July 2019. Long interview with Rémi Carayol for Politis on security strategies in the Sahel (gated)
11 July 2019. I had a conversation with Ruth Maclean for this piece she wrote for The Guardian
11 June 2019. Long segment with BBC World Service to provide some background to the massacre of Dogons in Sobane Kou, Central Mali (itw starts at 1'30")
7 June 2019. I answered Valérie Crova’s questions as UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres warns against risks of atrocities in Mali. I basically argue that atrocities are already there
29 May 2019. I’ve keenly contributed to this op-ed initiated by young Malian activists infuriated by the insane, racist portrayal of the crisis in the Sahel promoted by far-right ideologues in French mainstream media
27 May 2019. It was fun to do the interview but the result is super short and shallow. Not particularly proud :(
14 May 2019. Interview in Le Figaro (gated) on the challenges faced by the military intervention in the Sahel (the headline is not from my interview)
13 May 2019. Answering Xavier Martinet’s questions on the expansion of jihadi attacks in the Sahel, following the abduction and the eventual liberation of two French tourists in the North of Bénin
25 Mar 2019. This is not immediately related to Sahel politics yet it is related to how knowledge about Sahel politics is produced. I explain why I left the editorial board of the French journal Afrique Contemporaine after the release of a special issue on Mali was suspended by the journal’s ‘owner’, the French Agency for Development.
25 Mar 2019. I share thoughts for Liberation on the darkest day of Mali’s recent history. In the Bankass district, 134 civilians from a Fulani village were killed in horrendous circumstances. We shouldn’t shy away anymore from using terms like ethnic cleansing. (Frustratingly, the transcript of the itw is not entirely accurate and is full of typos)
17 Mar 2019. I gave a bit of background on jihadi tactics in the Sahel in the wake of the deadly attack against an army base in Dioura, Mali
25 Feb 2019. Heni Nsaibia and I try to make sense of the geographical diffusion of armed jihad in the Sahel
3 Dec 2018. I have quotes in this detailed piece on Kouffa’s death by Cyril Bensimon in Le Monde [update March 2019: Kouffa’s death was considered highly plausible at the time, after it was announced certain by the French Minister of Defense and the Malian army. But Kouffa didn’t die and re-appeared in a video in early March 2019. Good lesson for anyone taking official statements for granted, me included]
30 Nov 2018. Interview for RFI, Appels sur l’Actualité, on Kouffa’s probable death and its implications (start at 11’54’’). [update March 2019: Kouffa’s death was considered highly plausible at the time, after it was announced certain by the French Minister of Defense and the Malian army. But Kouffa didn’t die and re-appeared in a video March 2019. Good lesson for anyone taking official statements for granted, me included]
28 Nov 2018. Interview for DakarActu. I answer Abdou Cisse’s questions about implications of French strike against Hamadoun Kouffa’s katibat. [update March 2019: Kouffa’s death was considered highly plausible at the time, after it was announced certain by the French Minister of Defense and the Malian army. But Kouffa didn’t die and re-appeared in a video March 2019. Good lesson for anyone taking official statements for granted, me included]
13 Oct 2018. Review of trends in jihadi activity in Mali, with inputs from me (two pieces in the same issue of the Journal du Mali)
17 Aug 2018. Interview for France Culture about the security challenges re-elected Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita now has to face, starting with the situation in the centre of the country (starts at 8'55")
12 Aug 2018. Interview for BBC World Service, Newshour. I provide basic background on the political crisis in Mali between the two rounds of the presidential election (starts at 14'00")
3 Aug 2018. An interview for L’Express between the two rounds of the elections in Mali
15 June 2018. UK’s Stabilisation Unit publishes a series of case studies on Elite Bargains and Political Deals in conflict contexts. Nicolas Desgrais and I wrote the Mali chapter
4 June 2018. I comment on protests which took place in Bamako on Sat 2 June ahead of the presidential elections for BBC World Service (Newsday)
25 May 2018. Baba Alfa Umar from Kisal and I answer questions about the use of local militias in counter-terrorism operations at the Mali-Niger border
4 May 2018. Itw for RFI on escalation of violence in the Menaka region (Mali) and North Tillabery (Niger)
11 April 2018. Short clip on situation in Mali, based on a lecture I gave at the European University Institute (Florence) on Tribes and Global Jihadism, organised by MEDirections on 26 February 2018
6 Mar 2018. Some background on JNIM after the attacks in Ouagadougou
21 Feb 2018. A column written with eleven other colleagues in Le Monde Afrique inviting France to revise its military strategy in the Sahel
21 Feb 2018. A debate on the Sahel crisis and the G5 Sahel on Africa n°1
20 Dec 2017. I was heard by the Committee for Foreign Affairs and Defence at the French Sénat. I talked and answered questions about the crisis in the Sahel and the French intervention. Here is the transcript of the talk I gave
20 Dec 2017. I was heard by the Committee for Foreign Affairs and Defence at the French Sénat. I talked and answered questions about the crisis in the Sahel and the French intervention. Whole thing is (very) summarised in this clip
15 Nov 2017. Itw with TV5 Monde Afrique on counter-terrorism in the Sahel (starts at 16'20")
2 Nov 2017. With Andrew Lebovich. On US responses after the killing of four Green Berets in Niger and local jihadi landscape. Nicely republished by The Wire
25 Oct 2017. An interview with RFI on US plans to revise their military rules of engagement in the Sahel (in French)
19 Oct 2017. An interview on recurring protests against French military presence in Kidal, Mali
14 Sep 2017. An interview on UN plans to impose sanctions on those undermining the peace process in Mali
15 Aug 2017. An interview about the French military intervention in Mali (behind paywall, sorry, Mediapart needs your financial support)
11 Aug 2017. With Mathieu Pellerin. A piece comparing the ways Niger and Mali deal with violent dissent, notably Tuareg rebellions. NB: this article synthesises a longer report for IRSEM
27 June 2017. With Ferdaous Bouhlel and Jean-Hervé Jezequel. Fake news in the desert dissected (French version)
21 June 2017. With Ferdaous Bouhlel and Jean-Hervé Jezequel. Fake news in the desert dissected (English version)
11 May 2017. On the French military intervention in Mali. Originally published in The Conversation
28 Apr 2017. Radio show on dialogue with jihadists (not the most pleasant moment in my life)
13 Mar 2017. Overview of jihadist movements in West Africa
5 Mar 2017. Reflections following creation of The Group for Support of Islam and Muslims
19 Jan 2017. After the horrible attack in Gao, Mali
13 Nov 2016. With Baba Alfa Umar. On situation in Central Mali (English Version)
12 Oct 2016. With Baba Alfa Umar. On the situation in Central Mali (French Version)
31 Aug 2016. On local peacebuilding in Mali and how multiple cleavages are entangled
20 June 2016. On the interplay between land disputes and jihad at the border between Mali and Niger
29 Mar 2016. Commentary on electoral campaign in Niger
23 Mar 2016. With Fahiraman Rodrigue Kone. On media coverage of Bassam attack and Ivorian security response (English version). Republished by Quartz Africa
21 Mar 2016. With Fahiraman Rodrigue Kone. On media coverage of Bassam attack and Ivorian security response (French version)
16 Mar 2016. I gave an interview to AFP on the recruitment of jihadi combatants
21 Dec 2015. On French military intervention in the Sahel. Originally published in The Conversation
27 Nov 2015. Itw I gave to UNHCR-Niger on situation of refugees in Niger
11 Nov 2015. Insurgencies through the Centre-Periphery lens (along with the most Saharan Englishman, Jeremy Swift)
2 Nov 2015. Can the situation in Mali improve? (question still worth asking in 2017)
14 May 2015. On peace process in Mali (went to “Décryptage” several times because Nathalie Amar is an amazing professional)
20 Feb 2015. On jihadist media strategies in West Africa. Worth watching thanks to the amazing David Thomson, not me. My worst media experience ever (behind paywall, thank God)
Dec 2014. In 2014, I did a consultancy for the World Bank programme called Sahara Knowledge Exchange. The output is a short report analysing the transformations of political violence in the Sahara, notably the shift from nationalist separatism to jihad
20 Jul 2014. Schooling under Rebel Rule. This is not about the Sahel but about Côte d’Ivoire. I’m using a similar framework to study the occupation of Gao in 2012 (paper not published yet). The lecture was given at the Olympia Summer Academy which any student interested in conflicts should attend once in their life
7 Nov 2013. On situation in Kidal


June 2013. “From Tuareg Nationalism to Jihad: Changing Patterns of Militancy in the Sahara”. Talk I gave at SOAS, as part of the Mali In Transition Conference
26 Mar 2013. On French military intervention in the Sahel (during an unforgettable trip in Australia)
20 Mar 2013. On state governance and insurgencies in the Sahel
26 Feb 2013. Trying to debunk ‘ungoverned space’ bullshit (short French version)
26 Feb 2013. On militarisation of Mali and foreign presence
14 Feb 2013. Trying to debunk ‘ungoverned space’ bullshit (long English version)
1 June 2012. On the short-lived rapprochement between MNLA and Ançar Dine (still hotly debated 6 years later)
5 Feb 2012. On the early days of the new Tuareg insurgency in Mali
8 Sep 2011. With Frédéric Deycard. Why is Gadaffi revered by many in the Sahel (still true in 2018)
21 Mar 2011. Early thoughts on Al Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb (English version)
20 Aug 2010. Early thoughts on Al Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb (French version)
