Activists and civil society organisations advocating for rights-based government policies face persistent threats from state authorities, particularly in the realm of national security. Surveillance, harassment, and intimidation are used to instil fear and silence critical voices. This relentless pressure erodes not just the resilience of individual activists and organisations, but the sustainability of entire movements. Open Briefing partnered with a women-led human rights organisation in West Africa that is frequently targeted by security services for scrutinising national security policy and exposing abuses of power.
Tag: West Africa
The weekly briefing, 20 October 2014: Ebola in West Africa, dialogue between North and South Korea, attentions turn to Lebanon
Political and security risk updates from Open Briefing and Bradburys Global Risk Partners. Ebola continues to destabilise a number of West African countries, little progress made in dialogue between North and South Korea, attentions turn to Lebanon in balancing regional sectarian threat, and more.
Maritime insecurity in the Gulf of Guinea
The Gulf of Guinea, off the south coast of West Africa, has recently surpassed the more infamous Gulf of Aden, off the coast of Somalia in East Africa, as the epicentre of maritime insecurity. This intelligence brief explores the drivers of the problem and the complex nature of the challenges and possible responses, and sets out forecasts for maritime insecurity in the region in 2014.
Press release: Civil society intelligence agency releases forecasts for insecurity and conflict in West Africa in 2014
Open Briefing has today published the first of three synthesis reports from a major study forecasting insecurity and conflict in Africa in 2014. The report focusses on those countries of West Africa whose drivers and internal volatility are likely to create substantial levels of insecurity and conflict over 2014: Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal and Sierra Leone.
West Africa: Forecasts for insecurity and conflict in 2014
Some narratives have painted West Africa as a region where conflict and insecurity occur naturally due to ethnic tensions and porous borders. In reality, the underlying sources and drivers of instability are critical to understanding events. This study from Open Briefing attempts to avoid generalisations by analysing specific factors and identifying forecasts for individual countries in the region.