Over the past 24 years, transport infrastructure in North and West Africa has emerged as both a strategic asset and a contested battleground. Since the late 2000s, violence targeting transport systems has surged, driven by jihadist insurgencies and rebellions in West Africa and in the aftermath of the First Libyan Civil War in North Africa. This report, Roads and Conflicts in North and West Africa, examines the links between transport infrastructure and violence, demonstrating how these systems are deeply intertwined with social, economic and political stability. Building on the OECD/SWAC’s commitment to multi-scale analyses, it offers a comprehensive 24-year examination of these dynamics across 21 countries, drawing insights from over 70 000 violent events and 230 000 fatalities from the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED) project.
Five key messages emerge from the report:
1. Transport infrastructure is both a strategic asset and a target
Transport infrastructure plays a dual role in the region’s conflicts: it supports governance, economic activity, and state authority, while also serving as a frequent target for non-state violent actors. Roads, railways and transport corridors enable governments to deploy troops, deliver services and maintain control. Yet these same networks are exploited by violent actors to disrupt governance, destabilise regions and isolate communities. In North Africa, denser and better maintained transport networks enhance state sovereignty by limiting insurgent footholds. In contrast, West African countries face significant challenges, where insufficient infrastructure leaves gaps for insurgents to exploit using mobile and agile tactics.
2. Violence concentrates near roads
Around 70% of violent events and 65% of fatalities in North and West Africa occur within just one kilometre of a road. This pattern holds across all road types but is most pronounced near highways and primary roads. The impacts are most severe in the Central Sahel, the Lake Chad basin and northwestern Cameroon, where sparse networks and poor road conditions make transport infrastructure highly vulnerable to attacks. Civilians are particularly exposed to the consequences of violence targeting roads, facing ambushes, kidnappings and blockades.
3. A shift towards remote violence
In West Africa, insurgents are increasingly shifting their operations to remote areas and small urban centres, destabilising rural regions and expanding their influence. This trend is reflected in a decrease in the proportion of violent events occurring within one kilometre of a road, dropping from 86% in 2011 to 61% in 2023. In North Africa, however, over 80% of violent events still occur near roads, reflecting the more urban nature of conflicts in the region. Despite this shift towards remote violence in West Africa, roads remain strategically important, with many conflict hotspots lying within one to four kilometres of key transport routes.
4. Key transport routes are hotspots of violence
Major transport corridors in conflict-affected regions such as the Central Sahel, the Lake Chad basin and northwestern Cameroon, have become epicentres of violence. These routes, vital for trade and connectivity, are repeatedly targeted, resulting in disrupting trade, isolated communities and weakened state authority. These conflict hotspots underscore the dual role of transport routes as both lifelines for communities and critical battlegrounds in ongoing conflicts. Their strategic importance highlights the urgent need for co-ordinated efforts to safeguard these corridors and mitigate their vulnerability to violence.
5. Mobile warfare is reshaping conflict dynamics
Jihadist groups increasingly rely on motorbikes and light vehicles to navigate challenging terrain and outmanoeuvre slower, heavily armoured state forces. This tactical mobility enables insurgents to exploit vulnerabilities in transport networks, ambush key routes and evade military responses. Conversely, state forces’ reliance on fixed bases and predictable transport routes makes them vulnerable to highly mobile tactics. The findings of this report underscore the pivotal role of transport infrastructure in influencing conflict dynamics and fostering stability in North and West Africa. Strengthening security and building resilience require strategies that prioritise investments in robust transport networks, protection of civilian populations and targeted support to peripheral regions. A holistic approach, combining security measures with infrastructure development, cross-border co-operation and economic integration, is essential to address vulnerabilities and unlock the potential of transport systems to drive stability and sustainable development in conflict-affected areas.
This need is particularly urgent as conflicts continue to expand into coastal countries like Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana and Togo. As the report illustrates, once conflict takes hold, it tends to persist and entrench instability over time. These trends emphasise the critical importance of co-ordinated regional efforts to safeguard transport infrastructure, address systemic vulnerabilities and tackle the underlying drivers of instability. By doing so, the region can lay the groundwork for lasting peace and prosperity.
