This is a joint series of publications by the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) and the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC), profiling non-state armed groups in West Africa and exploring the intersections between their involvement in illicit economies and the provision of governance.

The series brings new material and updated analyses using the ACLED database and qualitative research, examining how armed groups survive in their political and economic environments.

Each paper will examine the evolution, structure and tactics of armed groups, as well as their transnational relationships, means of financing and governance practices. The series will offer a closer look at Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), bandit groups in north-western Nigeria and Ambazonian separatists in Cameroon, with a summative paper reflecting on broader findings.

Join us on 19 October at 9 am EST/3 pm CEST for a virtual launch of the inaugural report in this series. Click here to register