Samir Bhattacharya

Burkina Faso, once among Africa’s most peaceful states, has become the world’s most terrorism-impacted country, driven by cyclical violence between jihadists, state forces, and self-defense militias. This paper examines how indiscriminate and ethnically targeted violence, particularly against the Fulani, has fuelled al-Qaeda’s Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) expansion. Under Captain Ibrahim Traoré, the Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland (VDP) have become central to counterterrorism efforts, yet their rapid expansion has coincided with escalating atrocities. The March 2025 “Solenzo massacre” triggered JNIM’s “revenge” campaign, showcasing the group’s capacity to attack and temporarily occupy urban centres. Traoré’s domestically focused but repressive strategy has deepened insecurity, enabling JNIM to advance its governance ambitions. By analysing the role of persecuted communities, militia centrality, and state violence, this study argues that Burkina Faso’s counterproductive tactics have entrenched insurgency and offer critical lessons for regional and international actors confronting extremism in the Sahel and Gulf of Guinea.

• Charlie Werb |
• January-June 2025 |
• Africa Trends

The strategic withdrawal of the United States from key energy initiatives in Africa, including the winding down of Power Africa and reduced support for Just Energy Transition Partnerships, has created a significant vacuum in the continent’s energy diplomacy. This retreat coincides with Africa’s acute energy deficit, where over 600 million people lack electricity access, primarily in sub-Saharan Africa. Russia has capitalised on this gap through its state-owned Rosatom corporation, aggressively expanding nuclear energy partnerships across over 20 African countries. Beyond addressing energy shortages, Russia’s nuclear diplomacy serves as a geopolitical tool to deepen influence, foster long-term dependencies, and secure strategic alliances. While Russia offers comprehensive nuclear infrastructure solutions backed by flexible financing and political support, challenges remain, including financing constraints, institutional capacity gaps, and safety concerns. Despite symbolic agreements and ambitious projects, the long-term success of Russia’s nuclear ambitions in Africa depends on genuine local engagement, transparency, and alignment with the continent’s developmental priorities amid growing competition from China and Western actors.

• Samir Bhattacharya |
• January-June 2025 |
• Africa Trends

• Samir Bhattacharya |
• July-September 2023 |
• Journal of Defence Studies

Blanche Rocha D’Souza, Harnessing the Trade Winds: The Story of the Centuries-Old Indian Trade with East Africa, Using the Monsoon Winds, First published in Kenya in 2008 by Zand Graphics Ltd, Reprinted in India 2021 by Pentagon Press LLP. Pp. 204. INR 995.

ISBN (hardcover): ? 978-93-90095-43-8

• Samir Bhattacharya |
• January-December 2021 |
• Africa Trends