Enrica Picco

Lawyer and researcher on conflict, justice and peacebuilding

About me

I am the Central Africa Director at the International Crisis Group, where I help prevent and mitigate conflict in the region by overseeing field research in Cameroon, the Central African Republic and Chad.

As an international lawyer and researcher, I bring nearly twenty years of field experience to my work, combining management positions with research and teaching.

I started my career with Médecins Sans Frontières, where I conducted conflict analyses and developed advocacy strategies in several sub-Saharan countries. More recently, as an independent consultant, I have worked with a wide range of institutions such as the United Nations (including as a member of the UN Panel of Experts on the Central African Republic), the European Union and international NGOs.

My research focuses on conflict dynamics, peacebuilding and justice issues. I have also contributed to the book Making Sense of the Central African Republic and lectured on refugee law and transitional justice.

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Injustice anywhere
is a threat to justice
everywhere.

Martin Luther King Jr

Publications

Podcast – Afrique 360°

International Crisis Group

Plus que jamais, l’Afrique est au centre de toutes les attentions, que ce soit en raison des rivalités géopolitiques sur le continent, de la recrudescence des coups d’État militaires, ou des conséquences du changement climatique. Une fois par mois, dans Afrique 360°, Enrica Picco et ses invités analysent les événements qui font la une en Afrique, tout en avançant des solutions pour tenter de résoudre les crises.

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Tchad : limiter l’impact de la guerre au Soudan dans le Ouaddaï

International Crisis Group

Depuis avril 2023, l’est du Tchad a accueilli plus de 930 000 personnes fuyant la guerre au Soudan voisin, engendrant une crise humanitaire sans précédent. Le gouvernement tchadien et ses partenaires devraient mobiliser un soutien économique d’urgence pour la région...

Arrest of Separatist Leader Puts Spotlight on Cameroon’s Anglophone Conflict

International Crisis Group

Norwegian police have arrested a Cameroonian separatist leader, Lucas Ayaba Cho, on charges of incitement of crimes against humanity, marking the first major attempt to address impunity in the country’s Anglophone conflict. In this Q&A, Crisis Group expert Arrey...

Bringing Lasting Peace to the Central African Republic

International Crisis Group

Fighting with rebels is aggravating communal tensions in the Central African Republic, a country also buffeted by geopolitical rivalries. In this excerpt from the Watch List 2024 – Autumn Update, Crisis Group identifies how the EU can help Bangui address both...

Tchad : rompre le cycle des violences agropastorales

International Crisis Group

Au Tchad, les violences agropastorales ont atteint un niveau sans précédent ces dernières années, renforçant la perception d’un clivage entre le nord et le sud du pays. Elu en mai dernier, le président Mahamat Déby devrait faire de la résolution de ces conflits l’une...

Tchad : prévenir les risques d’instabilité après la transition

International Crisis Group

Les Tchadiens éliront leur nouveau président le 6 mai prochain, mettant fin à trois années de transition. Dans ce Q&A, les experts de Crisis Group Enrica Picco et Charles Bouessel, analysent les enjeux pour la stabilité du pays. Visit the link

Curbing Feuds over Water in Cameroon’s Far North

International Crisis Group

Disputes over water in the northern tip of Cameroon turned deadly in 2021, taking on a troubling ethnic dimension. The authorities have striven to contain the fighting, but to be sure of preventing a recurrence, they need to address the conflict at its roots. Visit...

« Older Entries

From Being Forgotten to Being Ignored: International Humanitarian Interventions in the Central African Republic

Making Sense of the Central African Republic

Lying at the centre of a tumultuous region, the Central African Republic and its turbulent history have often been overlooked. Democracy, in any kind of a meaningful sense, has eluded the country. Since the mid-1990s, army mutinies and serial rebellion in CAR have resulted in two major successful coups. Over the course of these upheavals, the country has become a laboratory for peacebuilding initiatives, hosting a two-decade-long succession of UN and regional peacekeeping, peacebuilding and special political missions. Drawing together the foremost experts on the Central African Republic, this much-needed volume provides the first in-depth analysis of the country’s recent history of rebellion, instability, and international and regional intervention.

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