Reports

North and West Africa have experienced several waves of violence in previous decades

Organisations can be allies one day, fight each other the next and co-operate later again

African armed conflicts involve a myriad of state forces, rebel groups and extremist organisations bound by rapidly changing alliances and rivalries

While cities and urban areas have always been sites of conflict, given their political and economic importance, many insurgencies, rebellions and separatist movements are associated with rural areas