Checkpoints, transport, networks and armed conflict
Roadblocks & Revenues Working Paper Series #12
This paper by Olivier Walther develops a relational approach to understanding checkpoint violence in conflict regions. Drawing on evidence from West African regions, it shows that violence is concentrated at checkpoints controlling access to strategically important transport intersections. The study finds that much of this violence stems from competition between state and non-state armed actors for checkpoint control, while civilians often bear the costs through extortion, abuse, kidnapping, and killings. The paper argues that checkpoints are key sites through which political and economic power is projected across networks of space and mobility.
This paper is the 12th in a working paper series on Roadblocks and Revenues, a collaboration between the Danish Institute for International Studies, the International Centre for Tax and Development and the Centre on Armed Groups.
