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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The Fallout in Chad from the Fighting in Darfur

International Crisis Group

War in Sudan’s Darfur region has triggered a refugee crisis in eastern Chad and raised concerns that turmoil could spread. In this Q&A, Crisis Group expert Enrica Picco draws upon research at the Chad-Sudan border to explain the challenges facing N’Djamena. Visit...

Rwanda’s Growing Role in the Central African Republic

International Crisis Group

Rwanda has become a major player in the Central African Republic, helping the government fight insurgents, supporting state reforms and investing in numerous businesses. This engagement has rewards but also comes with risks. Bangui and Kigali should act now to...

A Second Look at Cameroon’s Anglophone Special Status

International Crisis Group

In 2019, Cameroon’s government acknowledged the Anglophone regions’ distinct identity by giving them Special Status. Yet this legal framework has not quelled the separatist rebellion. Would reforming it bring the parties closer to a settlement? The question is worth...

Dix ans après le coup d’Etat, la République centrafricaine confrontée à une nouvelle crise majeure ?

International Crisis Group

En mars 2013, les rebelles de la Séléka déclenchaient une guerre civile en République centrafricaine. Une décennie plus tard, des fortes tensions internes et externes font craindre un nouveau transfert violent du pouvoir. Dans ce Q&A, l’experte de Crisis Group...

Canada Initiative Offers Opportunity for Cameroon Peace Process

International Crisis Group

Pre-talks between Cameroon’s government and Anglophone separatists, facilitated by Canada, have opened the door to a long-overdue peace process, but Yaoundé has baulked. The government should embrace these talks, while domestic and external actors should put their...

Chad’s Transition: Easing Tensions Online

International Crisis Group

Chadians’ growing use of social media could prove a boon for the country’s political transition, but it could also fuel violence offline. With donor backing, authorities, civil society, online platforms and influencers should work to ensure social media remains a...

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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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