The ‘Observatoire de l’Afrique’ is a network of European and African institutes and experts on peace and security issues in Africa. It is open to ad-hoc collaboration with other organizations. The ambition of the ‘Observatoire de l’Afrique’ is to promote open and constructive dialogue and debate, and to provide useful analysis to a wide range of policy makers. The network was formed in 2007 to facilitate interaction between experts and policy makers from Europe and Africa, as well as their Anglophone, Francophone, Lusophone and Arabophone spheres.
Policy and Research Papers
Security Sector Reform (SSR) in Guinea-Bissau
After many years of political instability and three failed attempts of DDR, there is a renewed effort in Guinea-Bissau to get DDR and SSR right. With a national strategy and action plan on SSR in place, Guinea-Bissau has attracted a lot of attention from the international community. Many donors, the European Union (EU) among others, are sending experts to assist in the SSR process in Guinea-Bissau. While there are favourable circumstances for SSR in Guinea-Bissau such as a willingness and
commitment displayed by the national authorities, a number of difficulties and challenges were highlighted during the briefing. The Army, which is by far the most powerful actor in Guinea-Bissau, has to be brought into the reform process. In addition, the large numbers of donors and experts have to be absorbed, organized and most off all coordinated.
Other Documents
Civilian Influence on Transitional SSR in North Africa (Expert Meeting Report)
On 11 November 2011, a group of country experts, practitioners, policy makers, analysts and security experts assembled at the Netherlands Institute of International Relations Clingendael, to exchange insights and build practical knowledge on the following topic: (How) Can non-state actors and civil society in Tunisia and Egypt address security (reform) in these transition contexts? This summary report is an attempt to share with the general public some salient points that came out of the day’s discussion. The content of this paper is based exclusively on the exchange of opinions and ideas of the individuals present that day.