Jesper Bjarnesen
@jesperbjarnesen.bsky.social
Senior researcher at the Nordic Africa Institute working on labour mobilities, displacement, urban informalities, street protests in Sahel, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Burundi. Also interested in AU, EU and Nordic migration policies and politics.
Reposted by Jesper Bjarnesen
The situation in Tanzania is worse than we realised. Some journalists have managed to smuggle information out of the country. Current death toll is close to 1,000 by some reports. A harshly enforced curfew is in place.
November 7, 2025 at 5:47 PM
The situation in Tanzania is worse than we realised. Some journalists have managed to smuggle information out of the country. Current death toll is close to 1,000 by some reports. A harshly enforced curfew is in place.
Reposted by Jesper Bjarnesen
Eritrea banned its football team from participating in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers because the teams athletes have in the past used international sporting commitments as an opportunity to escape the authoritarian regime. As a result several teams that had been eliminated qualified.
October 25, 2025 at 9:05 AM
Eritrea banned its football team from participating in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers because the teams athletes have in the past used international sporting commitments as an opportunity to escape the authoritarian regime. As a result several teams that had been eliminated qualified.
Reposted by Jesper Bjarnesen
Non-state armed actors engage with states in ambiguous and highly differentiated ways. In a recent article, Mariam Bjarnesen and I reflect on the seemingly contrasting approaches taken by three West African states; Ghana, Burkina Faso, and Liberia: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
www.tandfonline.com
August 5, 2025 at 9:59 AM
Non-state armed actors engage with states in ambiguous and highly differentiated ways. In a recent article, Mariam Bjarnesen and I reflect on the seemingly contrasting approaches taken by three West African states; Ghana, Burkina Faso, and Liberia: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Reposted by Jesper Bjarnesen
The first round of the presidential #elections in Côte d’Ivoire will take place on 25 October. In this post, @sebastianvanbaalen.se and I take stock of the stakes for #democracy in an election where the two main opposition candidates have been barred from running theconversation.com/cote-divoire...
Côte d'Ivoire’s elections have already been decided: Outtara will win and democracy will lose
Regardless of the legal reasoning and outcomes, President Alassane Ouattara’s fourth-term bid is a loss for democracy in Côte d'Ivoire.
theconversation.com
October 22, 2025 at 1:06 PM
The first round of the presidential #elections in Côte d’Ivoire will take place on 25 October. In this post, @sebastianvanbaalen.se and I take stock of the stakes for #democracy in an election where the two main opposition candidates have been barred from running theconversation.com/cote-divoire...
Reposted by Jesper Bjarnesen
Le premier tour de l'élection présidentielle en Côte d'Ivoire aura lieu le 25 octobre. Dans cet article, @sebastianvanbaalen.se et moi-même faisons le point sur les enjeux démocratiques d'un scrutin où les deux principaux candidats de l'opposition sont exclus. theconversation.com/la-democrati...
La démocratie ivoirienne promise à une nouvelle défaite dans les urnes
L’élection de 2025 mine la démocratie ivoirienne parce qu’elle se joue sur un terrain largement biaisé en faveur du pouvoir en place.
theconversation.com
October 22, 2025 at 1:15 PM
Le premier tour de l'élection présidentielle en Côte d'Ivoire aura lieu le 25 octobre. Dans cet article, @sebastianvanbaalen.se et moi-même faisons le point sur les enjeux démocratiques d'un scrutin où les deux principaux candidats de l'opposition sont exclus. theconversation.com/la-democrati...
Reposted by Jesper Bjarnesen
With key contenders blocked, Côte d'Ivoire’s president is set for a fourth term. Opposition slams it as a blow to democracy. 🗳️😕
theconversation.com/cote-divoire...
#Politics
theconversation.com/cote-divoire...
#Politics
Côte d'Ivoire’s elections have already been decided: Ouattara will win and democracy will lose
Regardless of the legal reasoning and outcomes, President Alassane Ouattara’s fourth-term bid is a loss for democracy in Côte d'Ivoire.
theconversation.com
October 22, 2025 at 7:58 PM
With key contenders blocked, Côte d'Ivoire’s president is set for a fourth term. Opposition slams it as a blow to democracy. 🗳️😕
theconversation.com/cote-divoire...
#Politics
theconversation.com/cote-divoire...
#Politics
Le premier tour de l'élection présidentielle en Côte d'Ivoire aura lieu le 25 octobre. Dans cet article, @sebastianvanbaalen.se et moi-même faisons le point sur les enjeux démocratiques d'un scrutin où les deux principaux candidats de l'opposition sont exclus. theconversation.com/la-democrati...
La démocratie ivoirienne promise à une nouvelle défaite dans les urnes
L’élection de 2025 mine la démocratie ivoirienne parce qu’elle se joue sur un terrain largement biaisé en faveur du pouvoir en place.
theconversation.com
October 22, 2025 at 1:15 PM
Le premier tour de l'élection présidentielle en Côte d'Ivoire aura lieu le 25 octobre. Dans cet article, @sebastianvanbaalen.se et moi-même faisons le point sur les enjeux démocratiques d'un scrutin où les deux principaux candidats de l'opposition sont exclus. theconversation.com/la-democrati...
The first round of the presidential #elections in Côte d’Ivoire will take place on 25 October. In this post, @sebastianvanbaalen.se and I take stock of the stakes for #democracy in an election where the two main opposition candidates have been barred from running theconversation.com/cote-divoire...
Côte d'Ivoire’s elections have already been decided: Outtara will win and democracy will lose
Regardless of the legal reasoning and outcomes, President Alassane Ouattara’s fourth-term bid is a loss for democracy in Côte d'Ivoire.
theconversation.com
October 22, 2025 at 1:06 PM
The first round of the presidential #elections in Côte d’Ivoire will take place on 25 October. In this post, @sebastianvanbaalen.se and I take stock of the stakes for #democracy in an election where the two main opposition candidates have been barred from running theconversation.com/cote-divoire...
Reposted by Jesper Bjarnesen
The latest Open Access volume of Migration and Society has been published!: bit.ly/4mbOY7L
Featuring research by: @malayfiroz.bsky.social @jenri.bsky.social @ernabodstrom.bsky.social @jesperbjarnesen.bsky.social @djamilak.bsky.social @suzan-ilcan.bsky.social and more!
Featuring research by: @malayfiroz.bsky.social @jenri.bsky.social @ernabodstrom.bsky.social @jesperbjarnesen.bsky.social @djamilak.bsky.social @suzan-ilcan.bsky.social and more!
September 10, 2025 at 12:01 PM
The latest Open Access volume of Migration and Society has been published!: bit.ly/4mbOY7L
Featuring research by: @malayfiroz.bsky.social @jenri.bsky.social @ernabodstrom.bsky.social @jesperbjarnesen.bsky.social @djamilak.bsky.social @suzan-ilcan.bsky.social and more!
Featuring research by: @malayfiroz.bsky.social @jenri.bsky.social @ernabodstrom.bsky.social @jesperbjarnesen.bsky.social @djamilak.bsky.social @suzan-ilcan.bsky.social and more!
Reposted by Jesper Bjarnesen
Soft infrastructures? It’s a thing. At least this article that I co-wrote argues it is. We conceptualise regional labour #mobilities in #WestAfrica this way to highlight the social, cultural, contextual and adaptable mediation of movement. Have a look! www.berghahnjournals.com/view/journal...
www.berghahnjournals.com
September 9, 2025 at 4:41 PM
Soft infrastructures? It’s a thing. At least this article that I co-wrote argues it is. We conceptualise regional labour #mobilities in #WestAfrica this way to highlight the social, cultural, contextual and adaptable mediation of movement. Have a look! www.berghahnjournals.com/view/journal...
Soft infrastructures? It’s a thing. At least this article that I co-wrote argues it is. We conceptualise regional labour #mobilities in #WestAfrica this way to highlight the social, cultural, contextual and adaptable mediation of movement. Have a look! www.berghahnjournals.com/view/journal...
www.berghahnjournals.com
September 9, 2025 at 4:41 PM
Soft infrastructures? It’s a thing. At least this article that I co-wrote argues it is. We conceptualise regional labour #mobilities in #WestAfrica this way to highlight the social, cultural, contextual and adaptable mediation of movement. Have a look! www.berghahnjournals.com/view/journal...
Reposted by Jesper Bjarnesen
Reopening the call for a 3-year postdoctoral fellowship on jihad in Subsaharan Africa, with a later start date (January 2026) - French a plus but not a requirement... drive.google.com/file/d/1oLPb...
Postdoctoral Contract - Governing Jihad in Africa (ENG).pdf
drive.google.com
August 7, 2025 at 6:00 PM
Reopening the call for a 3-year postdoctoral fellowship on jihad in Subsaharan Africa, with a later start date (January 2026) - French a plus but not a requirement... drive.google.com/file/d/1oLPb...
Non-state armed actors engage with states in ambiguous and highly differentiated ways. In a recent article, Mariam Bjarnesen and I reflect on the seemingly contrasting approaches taken by three West African states; Ghana, Burkina Faso, and Liberia: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
www.tandfonline.com
August 5, 2025 at 9:59 AM
Non-state armed actors engage with states in ambiguous and highly differentiated ways. In a recent article, Mariam Bjarnesen and I reflect on the seemingly contrasting approaches taken by three West African states; Ghana, Burkina Faso, and Liberia: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Reposted by Jesper Bjarnesen
The death toll for this disaster in the Gulf of Aden has risen to 140.
A boat carrying Ethiopian people trying to get to Yemen has capsized. The death toll has risen to 76 since this story was published.
August 4, 2025 at 4:45 PM
The death toll for this disaster in the Gulf of Aden has risen to 140.
How do states relate to non-state armed actors? As scholarship on #vigilantism has shown, the relationship is often ambivalent and subject to intense negotiation. Mariam Bjarnesen and I reflect on three West African cases to better understand state incentives www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Brothers in Arms? Vigilantism and Ambivalent State Responses in West Africa
A rich literature has argued for a nuanced and empirically grounded understanding of the incentives, roles, and practices of non-state actors in hybrid security governance. But what are the effects...
www.tandfonline.com
August 4, 2025 at 10:55 AM
How do states relate to non-state armed actors? As scholarship on #vigilantism has shown, the relationship is often ambivalent and subject to intense negotiation. Mariam Bjarnesen and I reflect on three West African cases to better understand state incentives www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Reposted by Jesper Bjarnesen
"#Wagner mercenaries have arrested, imprisoned & tortured hundreds of civilians in former #UN bases & military camps shared with the Malian army...duplicated methods it used in occupied #Ukraine & in #Russia"
#Mali #Sahel
www.rfi.fr/en/africa/20...
#Mali #Sahel
www.rfi.fr/en/africa/20...
International investigation reveals Wagner Group's secret prisons in Mali
A collaborative investigation by international media outlets has uncovered secret prisons run by Russian Wagner mercenaries in Mali, where abuse and torture are carried out with impunity. Reporters wi...
www.rfi.fr
June 16, 2025 at 12:44 PM
Reposted by Jesper Bjarnesen
🚨 Job Alert! We have a fascinating new project running on jihadist insurgencies in Africa, for which three research positions are open. Only five more days left to apply! Details about the three positions 👇
June 11, 2025 at 9:30 AM
🚨 Job Alert! We have a fascinating new project running on jihadist insurgencies in Africa, for which three research positions are open. Only five more days left to apply! Details about the three positions 👇
Three Nordic countries have published foreign policy strategies for their engagement with African states. This new NAI Policy Note provides some reflections on their similarities and differences, and suggests some avenues for deeper Nordic cooperation. Have a look!
nai.uu.se/stories-and-...
nai.uu.se/stories-and-...
The Nordic Africa strategies – distinct but not incompatible - The Nordic Africa Institute
Moving away from traditional aid-driven agendas, Finland, Norway and Denmark have launched Africa strategies that aim to foster equitable partnerships based on mutual interests in trade, security and ...
nai.uu.se
June 5, 2025 at 6:30 AM
Three Nordic countries have published foreign policy strategies for their engagement with African states. This new NAI Policy Note provides some reflections on their similarities and differences, and suggests some avenues for deeper Nordic cooperation. Have a look!
nai.uu.se/stories-and-...
nai.uu.se/stories-and-...
Here are some thoughts on the online and offline popularity of Burkina Faso’s military leader, Ibrahim Traoré:
nai.uu.se/stories-and-...
nai.uu.se/stories-and-...
Visions of pan-Africanism overshadow repressive rule in Burkina Faso - The Nordic Africa Institute
Despite reports of crackdown on media and political opponents in Burkina Faso, junta leader Ibrahim Traoré is gaining popularity across the continent. According to NAI researcher Jesper Bjarnesen, Tra...
nai.uu.se
May 26, 2025 at 6:44 AM
Here are some thoughts on the online and offline popularity of Burkina Faso’s military leader, Ibrahim Traoré:
nai.uu.se/stories-and-...
nai.uu.se/stories-and-...
Reposted by Jesper Bjarnesen
Another mass murder perpetrated by the army in Mali. Here, ethnic targeting is demonstrated. (Also, a friend lost six of his close relatives in this massacre)
« Ils les ont tous égorgés un à un » : à Diafarabé, au Mali, chronique d’un massacre ordinaire
Le 12 mai, dans le centre du Mali, une trentaine de civils ont été arrêtés avant d’être sommairement exécutés, parce que peuls et soupçonnés de collusion avec les groupes jihadistes, témoignent leurs proches. Jeune Afrique a reconstitué, à partir de témoignages recueillis sur place, le déroulé de cette nouvelle tuerie.
www.jeuneafrique.com
May 22, 2025 at 8:13 AM
Another mass murder perpetrated by the army in Mali. Here, ethnic targeting is demonstrated. (Also, a friend lost six of his close relatives in this massacre)
Burkina Fasos juntaledare bedriver en meme-vänlig propaganda som har fått sitt eget liv i sociala medier. Jag pratade med SVT-Nyheter om fenomenet, sedd i ljuset av förre söndagens massaker, som kostade mer än hundrade människoliv i norra delarna av landet
www.svt.se/nyheter/utri...
www.svt.se/nyheter/utri...
Ibrahim Traoré – Burkina Fasos ”militära influencer”
Det pågår våldsamma strider i Burkina Faso. På ena sidan militanta jihadister med kopplingar till al-Qaeda. På andra sidan – en av Afrikas mest inflytelserika män, militärkuppledaren Ibrahim Traoré. –...
www.svt.se
May 18, 2025 at 9:45 AM
Burkina Fasos juntaledare bedriver en meme-vänlig propaganda som har fått sitt eget liv i sociala medier. Jag pratade med SVT-Nyheter om fenomenet, sedd i ljuset av förre söndagens massaker, som kostade mer än hundrade människoliv i norra delarna av landet
www.svt.se/nyheter/utri...
www.svt.se/nyheter/utri...
New on the AMMODI blog: Joyce Takaindisa reflects on recent fieldwork conducted in Chimanimani, Zimbabwe where Cyclone Idai displaced thousands and left a trail of destruction in 2019, highlighting the spirit of #ubuntu as informing the hospitality of host communities
ammodi.com/2025/04/09/w...
ammodi.com/2025/04/09/w...
Welcoming the Newcomers Our Way
Mainstream perceptions in public, media, and policy discourses predominantly assign the responsibility of integrating internally displaced persons to local and national institutions. In this post, …
ammodi.com
May 6, 2025 at 4:33 PM
New on the AMMODI blog: Joyce Takaindisa reflects on recent fieldwork conducted in Chimanimani, Zimbabwe where Cyclone Idai displaced thousands and left a trail of destruction in 2019, highlighting the spirit of #ubuntu as informing the hospitality of host communities
ammodi.com/2025/04/09/w...
ammodi.com/2025/04/09/w...
The ”new-blog-post-smell” is still there - have a look at this excellent reflection on how migrant domestic workers seek to escape their exploitative bonds in the Gulf states!
New on the AMMODI blog: Saleh Seid Adem portrays the fates and aspirations of Ethiopian domestic workers in the Gulf States, who often long to escape their sponsorship arrangements (Kafala) and draw courage from the material objects left behind by former #migrants
ammodi.com/2025/01/31/t...
ammodi.com/2025/01/31/t...
The Ruins of Kafala Bending
Kafala is a sponsorship system that governs the employment of migrant workers in the Gulf States, particularly in sectors such as construction, domestic work, and hospitality. Under the kafala syst…
ammodi.com
February 6, 2025 at 11:45 AM
The ”new-blog-post-smell” is still there - have a look at this excellent reflection on how migrant domestic workers seek to escape their exploitative bonds in the Gulf states!
New on the AMMODI blog: Saleh Seid Adem portrays the fates and aspirations of Ethiopian domestic workers in the Gulf States, who often long to escape their sponsorship arrangements (Kafala) and draw courage from the material objects left behind by former #migrants
ammodi.com/2025/01/31/t...
ammodi.com/2025/01/31/t...
The Ruins of Kafala Bending
Kafala is a sponsorship system that governs the employment of migrant workers in the Gulf States, particularly in sectors such as construction, domestic work, and hospitality. Under the kafala syst…
ammodi.com
February 3, 2025 at 11:43 AM
New on the AMMODI blog: Saleh Seid Adem portrays the fates and aspirations of Ethiopian domestic workers in the Gulf States, who often long to escape their sponsorship arrangements (Kafala) and draw courage from the material objects left behind by former #migrants
ammodi.com/2025/01/31/t...
ammodi.com/2025/01/31/t...
#GlobalBar gav mig möjligheten att inleda 2025 med en framtidsspaning kring utvecklingsfrågor i svenskt perspektiv, och mer övergripande trender i världen. Här är mitt bud på en framtidsspaning för 2025!
Jesper Bjarnesen: Det här hoppas jag på 2025!
2024 har varit ett turbulent och intensivt år. Nu väntar ett nytt år – 2025! Blir det bättre – eller tvärtom ännu värre? Läs vad vår framtidsspanare Jesper Bjarnesen tror – och hoppas på! Vilken posit...
globalbar.se
January 1, 2025 at 9:45 AM
#GlobalBar gav mig möjligheten att inleda 2025 med en framtidsspaning kring utvecklingsfrågor i svenskt perspektiv, och mer övergripande trender i världen. Här är mitt bud på en framtidsspaning för 2025!