Mapping political violence in North and West Africa

Chapter 3 shows that political violence is very unequally distributed in North and West Africa. In order to better understand the geography of conflicts in the region, the chapter develops a new spatial indicator of violence, called the Spatial Conflict Dynamics indicator (SCDi), that examines the intensity and concentration of violent events. The indicator highlights which regions experience the most conflicts, how conflicts change geographically over time, and how military interventions affect the geography of conflicts. The analysis of the evolution of political violence is conducted at the regional level (North and West Africa) and through three case studies (Mali and Central Sahel, Lake Chad, Libya). It leverages political event data from the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data project (ACLED) that catalogues violent extremist incidents in Africa since 1997.