African Security Studies (Interdisciplinary - Social/Political focus)
African Security Studies (Interdisciplinary - Social/Political focus) is a peer‑reviewed scholarly journal published under the Pan‑African Research Journals (PARJ) platform, advancing African‑centred and global research.
Ambition Without Autonomy: The African Union Peace and Security Architecture between Normative Innovation and Operational Constraint
Institutional ambition without autonomy provides a framework for understanding the African Union’s Peace and Security Architecture, highlighting the gap between normative ambition and political capacity. The argument advanced is that APSA embeds far-reaching norms but lacks the delegated fiscal authority, operational independence, and member-state discipline required to translate them into consistent coercive or preventive action. Drawing on comparative case analysis of AMIS (Darfur), AMISOM (Somalia), MISCA (CAR), and the MNJTF (Lake Chad Basin); budget analysis of Peace Fund contributions; discourse analysis of PSC communiqués; and interviews with AU Commission Peace and Security Department officials, the study engages debates in regime theory, principal–agent approaches to international organizations, and African regionalism. It examines why formally ambitious institutions—PSC, APSA, and ACIRC—underperform relative to their mandates. Three core claims are advanced. First, AU underperformance arises from the interaction of weak financing, cautious member states, and fragmented command arrangements rather than institutional absence alone. Second, donor dependence has enabled operations but constrained agenda-setting, force generation, and the strategic autonomy associated with “African solutions to African problems.” Third, the AU performs most effectively when regional and international partners align around limited mandates, but struggles where incumbents treat peace architecture as a sovereignty shield rather than a mechanism of delegation. The study concludes that Peace Fund reforms must be matched by stricter member-state contribution rules and clearer burden-sharing if financial autonomy is to become politically meaningful. It further emphasizes that AU missions
Copyright (c) 2026 African Security Studies (Interdisciplinary - Social/Political focus)
Governing Through Grievance: Al-Shabaab, Local Political Economy, and the Transnationalisation of Jihad in East Africa
Al-Shabaab’s persistence in East Africa is often attributed to transnational jihadist ideology, yet its durability also reflects the interaction between governance failure and local grievance. The concept of governing through grievance captures how armed groups mobilise support by embedding themselves within everyday political and economic discontent. Moving beyond a descriptive account, the manuscript situates violent extremism within the political economy of state fragility, examining how local grievances and transnational ideological projects intersect in shaping insurgent resilience across East Africa. Focusing on Somalia, with regional extension into Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania, the study addresses three interrelated questions: the extent to which Al-Shabaab’s recruitment is driven by ideological commitment versus grievances rooted in clan marginalisation, state predation, economic exclusion, and livelihood collapse; how the group’s governance practices—including taxation, dispute resolution, and provision of basic services—have enabled it to sustain a social base in southern Somalia despite sustained AMISOM/ATMIS military pressure; and what explains its expansion into neighbouring states, whether through ideological diffusion, exploitation of criminal networks, or the replication of local grievance dynamics. Methodologically, the study combines comparative subnational analysis of Al-Shabaab’s territorial control and governance practices (drawing on ACLED and Mapping Militant Organizations data), interviews with former members, community leaders, and security officials in Somalia and Kenya, analysis of Al-Shabaab propaganda and administrative materials, and comparative reference to JNIM in the Sahel. The contribution lies in demonstrating how insurgent governance i
Al-Shabaab’s persistence in East Africa is often attributed to transnational jihadist ideology
yet its durability also reflects the interaction between governance failure and local grievance. The concept of governing through grievance captures how armed groups mobilise support by embedding themselves within everyday political and economic discontent. Moving beyond a descriptive account
the manuscript situates violent extremism within the political economy of state fragility
examining how local grievances and transnational ideological projects intersect in shaping insurgent resilience across East Africa.
Ethnic Militarisation by Reform: Security Sector Transformation and Armed Force Composition in South Sudan
Security sector reform (SSR) is often presented as a pathway to building unified national forces, yet in practice it can entrench ethnically structured military power. The concept of ethnic militarisation by reform captures how processes intended to integrate armed actors instead reproduce patterns of patronage, factional command, and identity-based control. Moving beyond a descriptive case account, the manuscript examines SSR as a domain of ethnic politics in post-conflict South Sudan, situating these dynamics within broader debates on African political order, state formation, and institutional design. Focusing on South Sudan, with comparative reference to Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the study addresses three interrelated questions: how the composition of South Sudan’s unified armed forces, formally integrated through DDR and SSR processes, continues to reflect and reinforce patronage networks rather than consolidate a national institution; how Dinka, Nuer, and Equatorian identity logics shape promotion, command appointments, and resource allocation within the SSPDF, and how these dynamics intersect with intra-community factional loyalties; and under what conditions international SSR assistance inadvertently legitimises and sustains ethnically organised armed forces, as well as what design changes might alter these incentives. Methodologically, the study combines analysis of SSPDF officer rosters and promotion records, interviews with SSR practitioners (including UNMISS, EUTF, and bilateral advisors), process tracing of DDR implementation from 2006 to 2023, and structured comparison with Rwanda’s post-genocide military integration and the DRC’s FARDC integration challenges. The contribution lies not only in explaining South Sudanese and comparative
Rebel Governance and Post-Conflict State Formation: The SPLM as a Political Organisation, 1983-2023
This article examines how the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) developed distinctive governance repertoires during its four-decade insurgency (1983-2005) and how these wartime institutional practices fundamentally shaped the architecture of the post-independence South Sudanese state. Drawing on rebel governance theory, historical institutionalism, and Migdal's state-in-society framework, this study argues that the governance practices developed by armed movements during insurgency are constitutive of - not merely antecedent to - post-conflict state institutions. Through process tracing of SPLM administrative, taxation, and justice practices from the New Sudan period through independence, this research identifies the mechanisms through which rebel organisational culture - including factional competition, personalised command structures, and predatory extraction - was translated into post-independence governance pathologies. The findings demonstrate that the SPLM's wartime governance legacy has produced a hybrid state formation trajectory characterised by the institutionalisation of armed movement practices, with profound implications for post-conflict statebuilding theory and practice in Africa.
This article develops institutional ambition without autonomy as an analytical lens for understanding the african union's peace and security architecture: between institutional ambition and political impotence. It argues that the African Unions peace and security architecture embeds ambitious norms but lacks the delegated fiscal authority, operational independence, and member-state discipline needed to transform those norms into consistent coercive or preventive action. Drawing on comparative case analysis of amis (darfur), amisom (somalia), misca (car), and mnjtf (lake chad basin); budget analysis of peace fund contributions; discourse analysis of psc communiqués; interviews with au commission peace and security department officials., the paper links the theoretical debates identified in regime theory (keohane; young); principal-agent analysis of international organisations; african regionalism theory (acharya; bach; murithi). examines why the au's formally ambitious peace and security institutions — psc, apsa, acirc — consistently underperform relative to their mandate. to a comparative and historically grounded reading of South Sudan and the related cases assembled in the research design. The article advances three core claims. First, AU underperformance is generated by the interaction of weak financing, cautious member states, and fragmented command arrangements rather than by institutional absence alone. Second, donor dependence has enabled operations but has also constrained agenda setting, force generation, and the strategic autonomy associated with the slogan African solutions to African problems. Third, the AU performs best when regional and international partners align around a limited mandate, but it struggles when political incumbents treat peace architectur
This article develops governing through grievance as an analytical lens for understanding how Al-Shabaab persists because governance failure and local grievance complement ideological mobilisation. Rather than treating the topic as a descriptive case note, the manuscript positions violent extremism, local grievance, and transnational ideology: al-shabaab and the political economy of jihad in east africa within wider debates on African political order, state formation, and institutional design. The paper is anchored in Somalia, Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania, and it uses the topic brief's theoretical architecture to ask three linked questions: to what extent is al-shabaab's recruitment base driven by transnational salafi-jihadist ideology versus local political economic grievances clan marginalisation, state predation, economic exclusion, and the collapse of livelihoods? How has Al-Shabaab's governance repertoire including taxation, dispute resolution, and basic services enabled it to sustain a social base in southern Somalia despite sustained AMISOM/ATMIS military pressure? What explains Al-Shabaab's successful expansion into Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania and does this reflect ideological diffusion, criminal network exploitation, or the replication of local grievance dynamics? Methodologically, the article translates the proposed design into a publication-ready strategy built around comparative subnational analysis of al-shabaab territorial control and governance (acled; mapping militant organizations); interviews with former members, community leaders, and kenyan and somali security officials; analysis of al-shabaab propaganda and governance documentation; comparison with jnim in the sahel.. It argues that the central analytical payoff lies not only in better explanation of
This article develops governing through grievance as an analytical lens for understanding how Al-Shabaab persists because governance failure and local grievance complement ideological mobilisation . Rather than treating the topic as a descriptive case note
the manuscript positions violent extremism
and transnational ideology: al-shabaab and the political economy of jihad in east africa within wider debates on African political order
and institutional design. The paper is anchored in Somalia
This article develops ethnic militarisation by reform as an analytical lens for understanding how security sector reform can entrench ethnic militarisation instead of producing a national force. Rather than treating the topic as a descriptive case note, the manuscript positions security sector reform as ethnic politics: armed forces composition, factional command, and the militarisation of ethnicity in post-conflict south sudan within wider debates on African political order, state formation, and institutional design. The paper is anchored in South Sudan, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and it uses the topic brief's theoretical architecture to ask three linked questions: how has the composition of south sudan's unified armed forces formally integrated through ddr and ssr processes continued to reflect and reinforce ethnic patronage networks rather than produce a national institution? What role do Dinka, Nuer, and Equatoria ethnic identity logics play in determining promotion, command appointment, and resource allocation within the SSPDF and how do these dynamics interact with factional loyalties within each community? Under what conditions does international SSR assistance inadvertently legitimise and resource ethnically structured armed forces, and what design changes would alter these incentives? Methodologically, the article translates the proposed design into a publication-ready strategy built around analysis of sspdf officer rosters and promotion records; interviews with ssr advisors (unmiss, eutf, bilateral); process tracing of ddr implementation 2006–2023; comparison with rwanda's post-genocide military integration and drc's fardc integration failures.. It argues that the central analytical payoff lies not only in better explanation of the South
This article examines Radicalisation Pathways in East Africa: Social Networks, Grievances, and Ideology: Perspectives from Eastern Africa with a focused emphasis on Senegal within the field of Political Science. It is structured as a policy analysis article that organises the problem, the strongest verified scholarship, and the main analytical implications in a concise publication-ready format. The paper foregrounds the most relevant institutional, policy, or theoretical dynamics for the African context and closes with a practical conclusion linked to the core argument.
Copyright (c) 2021 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
The Arms Trade Treaty and African States
This article examines The Arms Trade Treaty and African States: Ratification, Implementation, and Effectiveness: Evidence from South Sudan with a focused emphasis on South Sudan within the field of Political Science. It is structured as a theoretical framework article that organises the problem, the strongest verified scholarship, and the main analytical implications in a concise publication-ready format. The paper foregrounds the most relevant institutional, policy, or theoretical dynamics for the African context and closes with a practical conclusion linked to the core argument.
Copyright (c) 2024 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
This article examines Kenya's Dadaab and Kakuma Camps: Politics of Encampment, Livelihoods, and Durable Solutions: Post-CPA and Beyond with a focused emphasis on Kenya within the field of Political Science. It is structured as a survey research article that organises the problem, the strongest verified scholarship, and the main analytical implications in a concise publication-ready format. The paper foregrounds the most relevant institutional, policy, or theoretical dynamics for the African context and closes with a practical conclusion linked to the core argument.
Copyright (c) 2025 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
This article examines Hacking of Electoral Systems: Real Threats, Perceived Vulnerabilities, and Mitigation: Institutional Dimensions and Reform Pathways with a focused emphasis on South Sudan within the field of Political Science. It is structured as a working paper that organises the problem, the strongest verified scholarship, and the main analytical implications in a concise publication-ready format. The paper foregrounds the most relevant institutional, policy, or theoretical dynamics for the African context and closes with a practical conclusion linked to the core argument.
The Nuer-Dinka Divide in Military Structure
This article examines The Nuer-Dinka Divide in Military Structure: Ethnic Command Networks in the SPLA: The Role of Civil Society with a focused emphasis on Togo within the field of Political Science. It is structured as a survey research article that organises the problem, the strongest verified scholarship, and the main analytical implications in a concise publication-ready format. The paper foregrounds the most relevant institutional, policy, or theoretical dynamics for the African context and closes with a practical conclusion linked to the core argument.
Copyright (c) 2026 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
The Political Feasibility of Accountability
This article examines The Political Feasibility of Accountability: Power Dynamics and Prosecution Selectivity: Policy Implications for Fragile States with a focused emphasis on Senegal within the field of Political Science. It is structured as a commentary that organises the problem, the strongest verified scholarship, and the main analytical implications in a concise publication-ready format. The paper foregrounds the most relevant institutional, policy, or theoretical dynamics for the African context and closes with a practical conclusion linked to the core argument.
Humanitarian Coordination in Complex Refugee Emergencies
This article examines Humanitarian Coordination in Complex Refugee Emergencies: UNHCR, Clusters, and Effectiveness: Evidence from South Sudan with a focused emphasis on South Sudan within the field of Political Science. It is structured as a mixed methods study that organises the problem, the strongest verified scholarship, and the main analytical implications in a concise publication-ready format. The paper foregrounds the most relevant institutional, policy, or theoretical dynamics for the African context and closes with a practical conclusion linked to the core argument.
Copyright (c) 2022 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
This article examines The Gacaca Courts in Rwanda: Lessons for Transitional Justice in Other African Contexts: Gender, Power, and Structural Constraints with a focused emphasis on Rwanda within the field of Political Science. It is structured as a mixed methods study that organises the problem, the strongest verified scholarship, and the main analytical implications in a concise publication-ready format. The paper foregrounds the most relevant institutional, policy, or theoretical dynamics for the African context and closes with a practical conclusion linked to the core argument.
The Responsibility of States to Protect Nationals Abroad
This article examines The Responsibility of States to Protect Nationals Abroad: Consular Protection and Evacuation: Challenges and Opportunities in the 2020s with a focused emphasis on Senegal within the field of Political Science. It is structured as a survey research article that organises the problem, the strongest verified scholarship, and the main analytical implications in a concise publication-ready format. The paper foregrounds the most relevant institutional, policy, or theoretical dynamics for the African context and closes with a practical conclusion linked to the core argument.
This article examines The Nuer-Dinka Divide in Military Structure: Ethnic Command Networks in the SPLA: Applied to the Greater Horn of Africa with a focused emphasis on Kenya within the field of Political Science. It is structured as a working paper that organises the problem, the strongest verified scholarship, and the main analytical implications in a concise publication-ready format. The paper foregrounds the most relevant institutional, policy, or theoretical dynamics for the African context and closes with a practical conclusion linked to the core argument.
This article examines Diaspora Investment and Development: Channelling Remittances for Productive Use: An Empirical Investigation with a focused emphasis on Gabon within the field of Political Science. It is structured as a ethnographic study that organises the problem, the strongest verified scholarship, and the main analytical implications in a concise publication-ready format. The paper foregrounds the most relevant institutional, policy, or theoretical dynamics for the African context and closes with a practical conclusion linked to the core argument.
This article examines The Role of Religion in Reconciliation: Churches, Mosques, and Community Healing in South Sudan: Youth Perspectives and Intergenerational Justice with a focused emphasis on South Sudan within the field of Political Science. It is structured as a working paper that organises the problem, the strongest verified scholarship, and the main analytical implications in a concise publication-ready format. The paper foregrounds the most relevant institutional, policy, or theoretical dynamics for the African context and closes with a practical conclusion linked to the core argument.
This article examines Radicalisation Pathways in East Africa: Social Networks, Grievances, and Ideology: Perspectives from Eastern Africa with a focused emphasis on Djibouti within the field of Political Science. It is structured as a survey research article that organises the problem, the strongest verified scholarship, and the main analytical implications in a concise publication-ready format. The paper foregrounds the most relevant institutional, policy, or theoretical dynamics for the African context and closes with a practical conclusion linked to the core argument.
This article examines The Arms Trade Treaty and African States: Ratification, Implementation, and Effectiveness: Evidence from South Sudan with a focused emphasis on South Sudan within the field of Political Science. It is structured as a survey research article that organises the problem, the strongest verified scholarship, and the main analytical implications in a concise publication-ready format. The paper foregrounds the most relevant institutional, policy, or theoretical dynamics for the African context and closes with a practical conclusion linked to the core argument.
This article examines Kenya's Dadaab and Kakuma Camps: Politics of Encampment, Livelihoods, and Durable Solutions: Post-CPA and Beyond with a focused emphasis on Kenya within the field of Political Science. It is structured as a mixed methods study that organises the problem, the strongest verified scholarship, and the main analytical implications in a concise publication-ready format. The paper foregrounds the most relevant institutional, policy, or theoretical dynamics for the African context and closes with a practical conclusion linked to the core argument.
Mixed Migration Flows in the Horn of Africa
This article examines Mixed Migration Flows in the Horn of Africa: Refugees, Migrants, and Protection Challenges: Theoretical Framework and Empirical Analysis with a focused emphasis on Niger within the field of Political Science. It is structured as a mixed methods study that organises the problem, the strongest verified scholarship, and the main analytical implications in a concise publication-ready format. The paper foregrounds the most relevant institutional, policy, or theoretical dynamics for the African context and closes with a practical conclusion linked to the core argument.
This article examines South Sudan National Security Service: Functions, Abuses, and Reform Imperatives: Implications for Regional Integration with a focused emphasis on South Sudan within the field of Political Science. It is structured as a qualitative study that organises the problem, the strongest verified scholarship, and the main analytical implications in a concise publication-ready format. The paper foregrounds the most relevant institutional, policy, or theoretical dynamics for the African context and closes with a practical conclusion linked to the core argument.
Copyright (c) 2023 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
This article examines Blue Economy Security: Maritime Security in the Indian Ocean and East African Waters: Evidence from South Sudan with a focused emphasis on South Sudan within the field of Political Science. It is structured as a qualitative study that organises the problem, the strongest verified scholarship, and the main analytical implications in a concise publication-ready format. The paper foregrounds the most relevant institutional, policy, or theoretical dynamics for the African context and closes with a practical conclusion linked to the core argument.
Countering the Illicit Weapons Trade in Eastern Africa
This article examines Countering the Illicit Weapons Trade in Eastern Africa: Multi-Level Governance Perspectives with a focused emphasis on Eswatini within the field of Political Science. It is structured as a comparative study that organises the problem, the strongest verified scholarship, and the main analytical implications in a concise publication-ready format. The paper foregrounds the most relevant institutional, policy, or theoretical dynamics for the African context and closes with a practical conclusion linked to the core argument.
Energy Security and Political Stability in Sub-Saharan Africa
This article examines Energy Security and Political Stability in Sub-Saharan Africa with a focused emphasis on Morocco within the field of Political Science. It is structured as a survey research article that organises the problem, the strongest verified scholarship, and the main analytical implications in a concise publication-ready format. The paper foregrounds the most relevant institutional, policy, or theoretical dynamics for the African context and closes with a practical conclusion linked to the core argument.
War Crimes Documentation and Evidence Gathering in Active Conflict Zones
This article examines War Crimes Documentation and Evidence Gathering in Active Conflict Zones: An Empirical Investigation with a focused emphasis on Senegal within the field of Political Science. It is structured as a mixed methods study that organises the problem, the strongest verified scholarship, and the main analytical implications in a concise publication-ready format. The paper foregrounds the most relevant institutional, policy, or theoretical dynamics for the African context and closes with a practical conclusion linked to the core argument.
This article examines The Security-Development Nexus: Integrated Approaches and Implementation Challenges: A Critical Examination with a focused emphasis on Tanzania within the field of Political Science. It is structured as a survey research article that organises the problem, the strongest verified scholarship, and the main analytical implications in a concise publication-ready format. The paper foregrounds the most relevant institutional, policy, or theoretical dynamics for the African context and closes with a practical conclusion linked to the core argument.
This article examines The Responsibility of States to Protect Nationals Abroad: Consular Protection and Evacuation: Challenges and Opportunities in the 2020s with a focused emphasis on Ethiopia within the field of Political Science. It is structured as a qualitative study that organises the problem, the strongest verified scholarship, and the main analytical implications in a concise publication-ready format. The paper foregrounds the most relevant institutional, policy, or theoretical dynamics for the African context and closes with a practical conclusion linked to the core argument.