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SSR Resource Centre
Measuring Security: Homicide as an Indicator of State Capacity In Oil-Producing States
In this new blog post, Joseph Derdzinski discusses new research findings on how to use homicide data as an indicator of state capacity to help best understand everyday (in)security and security governance, focusing on two countries, Nigeria and Côte d’Ivoire.
News
ECOWAS Political Framework for Security Sector Reform and Governance adopted
At the Forty-Ninth Ordinary Session of the Economic Community of West African State (ECOWAS) Authority of Heads of State and Government, the Summit adopted the ECOWAS Political Framework for Security Sector Reform and Governance.
Analysis
Which African country is worst at fighting insurgents?
This article analyzes the results of a 2014-2015 Afrobarometer survey carried out in 36 countries in Africa on security-related issues and violent extremism. This data highlights significant levels of distrust in the security forces in Nigeria and Kenya: “Out of all the countries surveyed, public confidence in the police was lowest in Nigeria (21 percent) and Kenya (36 percent).” - Obi Anyadike, IRIN News
Beyond Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration of Ex-Combatants
Jairo Munive offers an excellent overview of both the different components of disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR) and the changing context in which DDR programmes are now implemented. – Jairo Munive, Sustainable Security
Mexico’s Public Security Lost 13,000 Weapons in 10 Years
A new report highlights that 12,878 have been lost or stolen from Mexico’s public security agencies over the last ten years. These weapons “were likely destined for Mexico’s black market and bought up by organized criminal networks and, possibly, the armed vigilante groups.” – Deborah Bonello, Insight Crime
Mexico’s justice system battles its own reputation to build trust
The author analyzes U.S. assistance to reform Mexico’s justice and police system, based on an assessment of the reform process in the northern state of Chihuahua. “Most of the money has gone to train Mexican judges, prosecutors and defense attorneys. A smaller amount has gone to train police, a critical part of reform that’s far behind schedule.” – Monica Urtiz Uribe, Southern California Public Radio
Judicial Reform in Juarez Still Has a Ways to Go
The author discusses the state of justice, prison and police reforms in Mexico, focusing on Chihuahua state and the border city of Ciudad Juarez, and highlights that despite significant success in overhauling the justice system, perceptions of corruption and unlawful arrests still exist.– Dominic Bracco II, Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting
“Western states are growing increasingly reliant on private military and security companies. Fully understanding the privatization of security and its effects on sustainable security requires the inclusion of a critical gender lens.” – Maya Eichler, Sustainable Security
Le rôle des forces de sécurité maliennes dans la lutte contre le Front de Libération du Macina (in French)
This article analyzes the role of Mali’s security forces in the fight against the Macina Liberation Front, a militant Islamist group.The author highlights that the fight against terrorism is clearly the defining feature of Mali’s armed forces recent security interventions.
Publications
Violent extremism in Africa: Public opinion from the Sahel, Lake Chad, and the Horn
Afrobarometer’s Round 6 surveys in 2014/2015 asked security-related questions in several countries that have experienced growth in violent extremism in recent years. This report provides key data on the importance of security-related issues and perceived corruption of police force in 36 African countries. - Stephen Buchanan-Clarke and Rorisang Lekalake, Afrobarometer
Justice mechanisms and conflict dynamics in Nepal: Local perceptions and impacts
This report discusses findings on community-level perceptions of formal and informal justice mechanisms, access to justice among different community/ethnic groups, and the linkages between access to justice issues and local conflict dynamics in Nepal.– Saferworld
Measuring Rule of Law in Public Administration in Kosovo Municipalities
This is the final report of a pilot-project on measuring the rule of law in Kosovo. The project provides useful analysis on subnational dimensions of rule of law and the potential for reform, focusing on social housing legal frameworks as a case study in four municipalities. – Folke Bernadotte Academy (FBA)
Policing in peace operations in Africa
This report, by the Centre for Security Governance’s partner the Institute for Security Studies, presents a comparative analysis of the differences between African Union policing and United Nations policing. – Institute for Security Studies
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