Popular discontent with the repressive nature of security institutions and security forces in North Africa was the precipitating cause of the uprisings that composed the Arab Spring. Across the region the security apparatus was structured to protect regimes from their people. Security ministries, military and police were instruments of internal repression. Security forces operated with 
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Tag | Libya
Security Sector Reform in North Africa: Why It’s Not Happening
By: Robert M. Perito | Wednesday, January 7th, 2015Is Military Intervention in Libya the Answer?
By: Raeesah Cachalia | Wednesday, November 5th, 2014Three years after the toppling of Muammar Gaddafi’s regime, Libya is far from the democratic state many had envisioned and hoped for. Instead the country finds itself fragmented into an alarming number of armed groups, raising fears of a full-scale civil war.
Too late to start worrying about the Islamic State in Africa
By: Simon Allison | Thursday, October 9th, 2014The spectre of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria casts a long shadow. It’s clearly not just the Middle East that is in trouble; both Britain and the United States have been worried enough to dispatch fighter jets to try and contain the Islamist rebels who have carved out huge chunks of territory as
Security Assistance in Africa: Inside America’s “New Frontier”
By: Eric Muller | Tuesday, August 26th, 2014Several weeks ago at the US-Africa Leaders Summit, President Obama unveiled the Security Governance Initiative (SGI), a new program designed to address security sector governance and improve security capacity in six African countries: Ghana, Kenya, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, and Tunisia. The SGI is the latest in a series of security assistance initiatives that the US
Reforming Libya’s Post-Revolution Security Sector: The Militia Problem
By: David McDonough | Wednesday, May 21st, 2014Libya’s post-revolution government has experienced growing political instability in recent months, first with the kidnapping and then ouster of Libya’s first post-Gaddafi prime minister Ali Zeidan, followed by the abrupt resignation of his interim replacement Abdullah al-Thani after an attack on him and his family. Incoming Prime Minister Ahmed Maiteeq was only appointed following a
Post-Revolution Challenges to Libyan Border Security
By: David McDonough | Wednesday, April 16th, 2014Following the overthrow of Gaddafi, Libya’s new government confronted a steadily declining political and security situation. In Benghazi, where the 2011 revolution began, there has been an upward trend of violence. The capital Tripoli has seen armed men besieging government ministries and even storming Parliament. Libyan Prime Minister Ali Zeidan was first kidnapped and more
News Roundup: 24 February - 2 March
By: SSR Resource Centre | Monday, March 3rd, 2014Want to keep up to date on the SSR field? Once a week, the SSR Resource Centre posts pertinent news articles, reports, projects and updates on SSR related events over the past week. Click here to sign-up for the SSR Weekly newsletter and have the News Roundup delivered straight to your inbox every week!
Libya: Capture of Anas al Liby Exposes Weak Security Sector
By: Shannon Nash | Thursday, November 7th, 2013Security Governance Group Research and Communications Intern Shannon Nash looks at the recent U.S. raid that led to the capture of wanted terrorist, Anas al Liby to analyze how the event reflects on Libya’s troubled security sector.
Libya’s Governance Crisis
By: Isaac Caverhill-Godkewitsch | Friday, May 31st, 2013Libya is facing an ongoing governance crisis. The transitional government put in place after the NATO-assisted uprising against Colonel Muammar Gaddafi succeeded in conducting elections and putting together an electoral process for the constitution drafting committee. However, violence continues despite the free elections of July 2012. There have been numerous bombings and attacks against the
NATO’s Role in Libya and Syria?
By: Michael Lawrence | Friday, October 28th, 2011NATO voted today to end its mission in Libya on October 31 even though Libya’s National Transitional Council asked the Organization to stay until at least the end of the year. A recent opinion piece by Mark Sedra indeed argues that Libya provided NATO with a quick win that did not entail troops on the
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