This report explores the relationship between transport systems and conflict dynamics in North and West Africa over 24 years. Roads, railways, and ports are essential for economic development and the movement of goods and people, forming one of the cornerstones of regional integration. Because of this role, they are also frequent targets of attack and conflict. Since the late 2000s, transport-related violence has surged in West Africa, driven by jihadist insurgencies and rebellions. A similar trend has been observed in North Africa following the First Libyan Civil War in 2011.
The report highlights the dual dynamic of infrastructure as both a lifeline and a strategic target for attack. While on average 70% of violent incidents and 65% of victims occur within one kilometre of a road, there are major spatial disparities in North and West Africa. Ambushes, kidnappings, remote violence, blockades and destruction of transport infrastructure are intense in the Central Sahel, the Lake Chad basin and, more recently, western Cameroon. As transport systems are deeply tied to social, economic and political stability, addressing these challenges requires a more integrated, multiscale understanding and approach. Strengthening transport networks is vital for territorial development and national and regional cohesion given the increasingly complex dynamics of insecurity and the risk of territorial and institutional fragmentation.
