Richard Moncrieff Project Director, Central Africa Nairobi, Kenya Please submit all media inquiries to rmoncrieff@crisisgroup.org or call +32 (0) 2 536 00 71 Crisis Group Role Richard Moncrieff started as Crisis Group's Central Africa Project Director in January 2016, overseeing all work on Central Africa. He previously worked for the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office as principal Research Analyst on West and then Central Africa, and head of the Africa Research Group. He worked as a diplomat in Paris (2003) and Abidjan (2005 - 06), and has traveled and worked extensively throughout the African continent. He was Crisis Group's West Africa project director from 2008 to 2010, where he wrote reports on Cameroon, Nigeria and Guinea. In 2011 he was the Bradlow Research Fellow at the South African Institute of International Affairs. He has published academic work on Africa's international relations. He has a PhD from Southampton University in the UK and a Masters in African Studies from the political science institute, University of Bordeaux, France. Areas of expertise Conflict management and peacekeeping Elections and complex transitions in Central and West Africa Authoritarian rule, state fragility and state collapse Security sector reform and non-state armed actors Politics and international relations of Africa Professional Background Principal Research Analyst, Central Africa, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, London (2011-2015) Research Fellow, South African Institute of International Affairs, Johannesburg (2011) Project Director, West Africa, International Crisis Group, Dakar (2008-2010) Principal Research Analyst, West Africa, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, London and head, Africa Research Group (2001-2008) PhD, Southampton University Masters, African Studies, Bordeaux University, France Languages English French In The News 7 Dec 2017 There is evident concern of growing instability and a frustration [in DR Congo] at the political blockage that is fueling popular frustration and the spread of violence in the country. New Europe Richard Moncrieff Project Director, Central Africa 3 Oct 2017 [President of Cameroon Paul Biya] cannot allow people to gain the impression that [demonstrators in English-speaking regions] have any power whatsoever. It’s a very absolutist system. Financial Times Richard Moncrieff Project Director, Central Africa 25 Sep 2017 [There are no] significant indications of other violent extremist activity [in Chad aside from Boko Haram], so in that respect, [the decision to include Chad in the U.S. travel ban] is completely baffling. The Washington Post Richard Moncrieff Project Director, Central Africa 23 Mar 2017 There is a risk that the process of negotiation [in the Central African Republic] around disarmament becomes bogged down and justice, including through the Special Criminal Court, accelerates. IRIN Richard Moncrieff Project Director, Central Africa 24 Feb 2017 Against the supposed Christian versus Muslim logic of this conflict [in the Central African Republic], we now see Muslim groups fighting Muslim groups, divided on ethnic lines and fighting for territory. IRIN Richard Moncrieff Project Director, Central Africa Latest Updates Op-Ed / Africa 21 May 2018 AU Must Re-engage in Burundi to Push for Inclusivity as a Way out of Violence The constitutional changes, if passed, could reset the clock on term limits for President Pierre Nkurunziza — potentially giving him an additional 14 years in power — and paving the way for the dismantling of ethnic balances embedded in the 2000 Arusha Agreement, which brought an end to Burundi’s protracted civil war. Originally published in The East African Also available in Français Interview / Africa 1 December 2017 DR Congo's Deadlocked Crises In an interview with ARD Africa Correspondant Alexander Göbel, Crisis Group’s Central Africa Project Director Richard Moncrieff discusses DR Congo’s many crises and how the international community can deal with the country’s ongoing political blockage. Originally published in Tagesschau Op-Ed / Africa 14 November 2017 In the Central African Republic, Peace Requires More Than a Bigger U.N. Force The U.N. Security Coucil approved a resolution to extend the mandate of the U.N. Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) until 15 November 2018, also increasing the mission’s troop ceiling by 900. Richard Moncrieff, Project Director for Central Africa, states that the Central African Republic needs more than just troops to meet the country's security challenges. Originally published in World Politics Review Op-Ed / Africa 27 September 2017 Cameroon’s Anglophone Crisis is Escalating. Here’s How It Could Be Resolved. Improving decentralisation countrywide would appeal to Anglophone protesters, but without seeming to give them special treatment. Originally published in African Arguments Commentary / Africa 8 September 2017 In Backing Chad, the West Faces Moral Hazards The West sees Chad as a reliable ally in the fight against extremists in the African Sahel. But it needs to take more care. Chad is breaking prior agreements by spending much of its oil revenue on the military, while social services and good governance have suffered. Load more