Institute for Security Studies (ISS)

Institute for Security Studies (ISS) The Institute for Security Studies partners to build knowledge and skills that secure Africaโ€™s future
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The Institute for Security Studies partners to build knowledge and skills that secure Africaโ€™s future.

๐ˆ๐ฌ ๐€๐Ÿ๐ซ๐ข๐œ๐š ๐›๐ž๐œ๐จ๐ฆ๐ข๐ง๐  ๐š ๐ง๐ž๐ฐ ๐š๐ซ๐ž๐ง๐š ๐Ÿ๐จ๐ซ ๐š๐๐š๐ฉ๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ž ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ง๐ž ๐ฐ๐š๐ซ๐Ÿ๐š๐ซ๐ž?Ukraine has become the worldโ€™s leading laboratory for adapting...
16/06/2026

๐ˆ๐ฌ ๐€๐Ÿ๐ซ๐ข๐œ๐š ๐›๐ž๐œ๐จ๐ฆ๐ข๐ง๐  ๐š ๐ง๐ž๐ฐ ๐š๐ซ๐ž๐ง๐š ๐Ÿ๐จ๐ซ ๐š๐๐š๐ฉ๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ž ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ง๐ž ๐ฐ๐š๐ซ๐Ÿ๐š๐ซ๐ž?

Ukraine has become the worldโ€™s leading laboratory for adapting commercial drones for military use. Now its expertise, technology and drone partnerships are increasingly reaching Africa.

Countries such as Ghana are exploring Ukrainian drone capabilities, while evidence suggests armed groups are also adopting tactics pioneered on the Russia-Ukraine battlefield. As drones become more affordable and effective, they are changing the balance between state and non-state actors and reshaping how conflicts are fought.

The opportunities are significant, but so are the risks. As drone technology spreads, Africa could become a growing arena for competition over adaptive drone warfare.

ISS Today by Karen Allen https://issafrica.org/iss-today/is-africa-becoming-a-new-arena-for-adaptive-drone-warfare

Kidnapping for ransom is no longer an isolated rural crime in Chad; it has become a structured, cross-border criminal ec...
16/06/2026

Kidnapping for ransom is no longer an isolated rural crime in Chad; it has become a structured, cross-border criminal economy that is steadily undermining community security, state authority and regional stability

Known as the Triangle of Death, Chadโ€™s southern borderlands with Cameroon and CAR are the epicentre of an escalating kidnapping-for-ransom threat. An estimated 1 500 abductions have been documented in Mayo-Kebbi Ouest and Logone Oriental in the past 20 years with a sharp rise since 2019/2020.

Operations involve local actors, organised criminal groups, terrorists and, in some cases, complicit elements within security forces and community structures. Victims span a wide range, from herders and farmers to humanitarian workers, civil servants and wealthy individuals.

Chad lacks a comprehensive strategy to respond to the threat. Families are largely left to negotiate ransoms independently, further sustaining the criminal economy. Breaking this cycle demands coordinated action across justice, security, development and community engagement sectors.

Read our latest report by Titilope F Ajayi

https://issafrica.org/research/books-and-other-publications/entrepreneurs-of-insecurity-kidnapping-for-ransom-in-the-chad-car-cameroon-borderlands

๐ˆ๐’๐–๐€๐'๐ฌ ๐ง๐ž๐ฑ๐ญ ๐Ÿ๐ซ๐จ๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐ž๐ซ: ๐ƒ๐š๐ซ๐š๐ค ๐ข๐ง ๐ง๐จ๐ซ๐ญ๐ก๐ž๐ซ๐ง ๐‚๐š๐ฆ๐ž๐ซ๐จ๐จ๐งDarak sits where Cameroon, Nigeria and Chad converge โ€“ a busy hub for f...
15/06/2026

๐ˆ๐’๐–๐€๐'๐ฌ ๐ง๐ž๐ฑ๐ญ ๐Ÿ๐ซ๐จ๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐ž๐ซ: ๐ƒ๐š๐ซ๐š๐ค ๐ข๐ง ๐ง๐จ๐ซ๐ญ๐ก๐ž๐ซ๐ง ๐‚๐š๐ฆ๐ž๐ซ๐จ๐จ๐ง

Darak sits where Cameroon, Nigeria and Chad converge โ€“ a busy hub for fishing and cross-border trade, and with a weak state presence that makes it an attractive target for ISWAP expansion.

For over a year, ISWAP has been tightening its grip on the area. The group has declared Darak part of its territory, appointed local lieutenants to recruit residents, and backed its propaganda with punishment โ€“ flogging herders and farmers for unpaid taxes and entering fields without authorisation.

Since January, ISWAP has attacked 10 military outposts, forcing the closure of schools and health centres. Cameroon urgently needs more offensive operations, drone surveillance, joint action with Nigeria, and civil-military trust-building.

ISS Today by Cรฉlestin Delanga and Abรฉlรฉguรฉ Alliance Fidรจle https://issafrica.org/iss-today/iswap-s-next-frontier-darak-in-northern-cameroon

๐–๐ž๐›๐ข๐ง๐š๐ซ: ๐•๐ข๐จ๐ฅ๐ž๐ง๐œ๐ž ๐œ๐š๐ง๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐›๐ž ๐ฉ๐ซ๐ž๐ฏ๐ž๐ง๐ญ๐ž๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐œ๐ข๐ฏ๐ข๐ฅ ๐ฌ๐จ๐œ๐ข๐ž๐ญ๐ฒCivil society organisations are the foot soldiers of violence...
15/06/2026

๐–๐ž๐›๐ข๐ง๐š๐ซ: ๐•๐ข๐จ๐ฅ๐ž๐ง๐œ๐ž ๐œ๐š๐ง๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐›๐ž ๐ฉ๐ซ๐ž๐ฏ๐ž๐ง๐ญ๐ž๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐œ๐ข๐ฏ๐ข๐ฅ ๐ฌ๐จ๐œ๐ข๐ž๐ญ๐ฒ

Civil society organisations are the foot soldiers of violence prevention โ€” implementing interventions, driving innovation, and reaching children where governments and multilateral agencies cannot. Yet they are routinely excluded from the decision-making spaces that shape global agendas.

Join the Institute for Security Studies (ISS), Save the Children SA and Raising Voices to explore why CSOs must be positioned as fundamental strategic partners โ€” and how unequal power relations can be overcome โ€” in the critical lead-up to the Global Ministerial Conference on Ending Violence Against Children.

๐Ÿ“… Wednesday, 17 June 2026
โฐ 13:00 โ€“ 15:00 (SAST)
๐Ÿ’ป Online

Register now: https://issafrica.org/events/violence-cannot-be-prevented-without-civil-society

๐’๐ข๐๐ž ๐ž๐ฏ๐ž๐ง๐ญ: ๐‚๐ž๐ง๐ญ๐ซ๐š๐ฅ ๐€๐Ÿ๐ซ๐ข๐œ๐š'๐ฌ ๐ž๐ฌ๐œ๐š๐ฅ๐š๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐  ๐ญ๐ก๐ซ๐ž๐š๐ญ๐ฌ โ€“ ๐ ๐ž๐จ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐œ๐ฌ, ๐œ๐ซ๐ข๐ฆ๐ž ๐š๐ง๐ ๐ฏ๐ข๐จ๐ฅ๐ž๐ง๐œ๐žCentral Africa's organised crime crisis...
15/06/2026

๐’๐ข๐๐ž ๐ž๐ฏ๐ž๐ง๐ญ: ๐‚๐ž๐ง๐ญ๐ซ๐š๐ฅ ๐€๐Ÿ๐ซ๐ข๐œ๐š'๐ฌ ๐ž๐ฌ๐œ๐š๐ฅ๐š๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐  ๐ญ๐ก๐ซ๐ž๐š๐ญ๐ฌ โ€“ ๐ ๐ž๐จ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐œ๐ฌ, ๐œ๐ซ๐ข๐ฆ๐ž ๐š๐ง๐ ๐ฏ๐ข๐จ๐ฅ๐ž๐ง๐œ๐ž

Central Africa's organised crime crisis is not a distant development problem. Itโ€™s a direct European strategic concern.

The region holds critical minerals essential to Europe's green and digital transition โ€“ yet these are deeply entangled with armed conflict and criminal networks. Illicit financial flows, cryptocurrency laundering and shadow fleet logistics are rooted in Central Africa but operate through European financial centres. And with over 31 million people displaced, the migration and stability spillovers reach Europe directly.

Join the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) and the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC) at EU Crime Fighting Week to hear the latest research from the Observatory on Organised Crime and Violence in Central Africa.

๐Ÿ“… Thursday, 19 June 2026
โฐ 09:00 โ€“ 11:00
๐Ÿ“ NH Brussels EU Berlaymont, Brussels

Register to attend here: [email protected]

https://issafrica.org/events/central-africa-s-escalating-threats-geopolitics-crime-and-violence-and-their-policy-implications

๐‚๐š๐ง ๐€๐Ÿ๐ซ๐ข๐œ๐š ๐ฌ๐ž๐œ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ž ๐ข๐ญ๐ฌ ๐ฌ๐ž๐š๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐Ÿ๐ข๐ซ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ฌ๐ž๐œ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ข๐ง๐  ๐ข๐ญ๐ฌ ๐ฉ๐ž๐š๐œ๐ž?The African Union's Department of Political Affairs, Peace a...
14/06/2026

๐‚๐š๐ง ๐€๐Ÿ๐ซ๐ข๐œ๐š ๐ฌ๐ž๐œ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ž ๐ข๐ญ๐ฌ ๐ฌ๐ž๐š๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐Ÿ๐ข๐ซ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ฌ๐ž๐œ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ข๐ง๐  ๐ข๐ญ๐ฌ ๐ฉ๐ž๐š๐œ๐ž?

The African Union's Department of Political Affairs, Peace and Security (AU PAPS) is calling for papers for the 3rd edition of its Post-Conflict Reconstruction and Development Journal, themed โ€˜Maritime Security and Peacebuilding in Africa.โ€™ The deadline is 15 June 2026.

From IUU fishing and piracy to resource contestation, contributors are invited to examine how maritime insecurity fuels fragility, and how governance of coastal spaces can anchor recovery, regional integration and long-term stability.

Submissions are open to researchers, academics, civil society organisations, and practitioners. Articles, policy papers and debate pieces are welcome (6 000โ€“7 000 words).

Submit to Mr Adil El Badmoussi at [email protected], copying [email protected] and [email protected] โ€“ subject line: 3rd AU PCRD Journal.
ISS is proud to support AU PAPS in producing this third edition.

๐Ÿ”— Full call here

๐Ÿ“ข ๐‚๐š๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐Ÿ๐จ๐ซ ๐ฉ๐š๐ฉ๐ž๐ซ๐ฌ: 3๐ซ๐ ๐ž๐๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐จ๐Ÿ ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐€๐” ๐๐‚๐‘๐ƒ ๐‰๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ง๐š๐ฅThe African Union invites submissions for the Journal on Post-Confl...
13/06/2026

๐Ÿ“ข ๐‚๐š๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐Ÿ๐จ๐ซ ๐ฉ๐š๐ฉ๐ž๐ซ๐ฌ: 3๐ซ๐ ๐ž๐๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐จ๐Ÿ ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐€๐” ๐๐‚๐‘๐ƒ ๐‰๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ง๐š๐ฅ

The African Union invites submissions for the Journal on Post-Conflict Reconstruction and Development (PCRD).

๐Ÿ—‚๏ธ Theme: Maritime Security and Peacebuilding in Africa
๐Ÿ—“๏ธ Deadline: 15 June 2026

This edition repositions maritime governance as a critical dimension of peacebuilding, recovery and resilience in Africa โ€“ from the Gulf of Guinea to the Western Indian Ocean.

Researchers, experts and practitioners are encouraged to contribute articles, policy papers and debate pieces.

๐Ÿ”— Click here for more details: peaceau.org

๐„๐ฌ๐ฐ๐š๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ขโ€™๐ฌ ๐œ๐š๐ฅ๐ฆ ๐ฆ๐š๐ฒ ๐›๐ž ๐ฆ๐จ๐ซ๐ž ๐Ÿ๐ซ๐š๐ ๐ข๐ฅ๐ž ๐ญ๐ก๐š๐ง ๐ข๐ญ ๐š๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ž๐š๐ซ๐ฌFive years after nationwide protests shook Eswatini, the country appe...
12/06/2026

๐„๐ฌ๐ฐ๐š๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ขโ€™๐ฌ ๐œ๐š๐ฅ๐ฆ ๐ฆ๐š๐ฒ ๐›๐ž ๐ฆ๐จ๐ซ๐ž ๐Ÿ๐ซ๐š๐ ๐ข๐ฅ๐ž ๐ญ๐ก๐š๐ง ๐ข๐ญ ๐š๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ž๐š๐ซ๐ฌ

Five years after nationwide protests shook Eswatini, the country appears politically stable. But many of the grievances fuelling the 2021 unrest โ€“ poverty, unemployment, poor service delivery and exclusion from political participation โ€“ remain unresolved.

The government has responded to reform demands with repression rather than dialogue, while opposition movements have been weakened and fragmented. And regional pressure has faded, with SADC removing Eswatini from its agenda in 2024.

The absence of visible unrest should not be mistaken for the resolution of tensions. Without meaningful political reform, the conditions that produced the 2021 crisis are bubbling beneath the surface.

ISS Today by Peter Fabricius https://issafrica.org/iss-today/eswatini-s-ominous-quiet

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