Prénom de l'expert

Thierry

Nom de l'expert

VIRCOULON

Associate Research Fellow, Coordinator of the Observatory of Central and Southern Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa Center, Ifri

Research Areas:

Risk and conflict analysis
Security sector reform
Governance of natural resources
Central Africa, Southern Africa, Great Lakes region
Relations between China and Africa

Sub-Saharan Africa Center

Macro view of a political map of Ethiopia

East and Central Africa Observatory

Thierry Vircoulon is a graduate from the French Public Management Institute (ENA) and the Institute for Political Studies in Paris. He holds a masters degree in Political Science from Sorbonne University. He has previously worked for the French Foreign Ministry and the European Commission, notably in South Africa and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Most of his work is focusing on governance and SSR. He is also part of the OECD group of experts on statebuilding and peacebuilding.

Support independent French research

Ifri, a foundation recognized as being of public utility, relies largely on private donors – companies and individuals – to guarantee its sustainability and intellectual independence. Through their funding, donors help maintain the Institute's position among the world's leading think tanks. By benefiting from an internationally recognized network and expertise, donors refine their understanding of geopolitical risk and its consequences on global politics and the economy. In 2024, Ifri will support more than 70 French and foreign companies and organizations.

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Analysis from Thierry VIRCOULON

Publications

Papers

Post-Nkurunziza : The Total Supremacy of the CNDD-FDD

17 March 2021

Despite the coronavirus pandemic and the passing of President Pierre Nkurunziza on June 8, 2020, the election cycle (presidential, legislative, senatorial, communal and hillside elections) have been upheld and went smoothly. Not only has the ruling party, the National Council for the Defense of Democracy-Forces for the Defense of Democracy (CNDD-FDD) remained in power, but it has also consolidated its dominance over an institutional system that had been modified with the 2018 constitutional revision.

Thierry VIRCOULON Henri-Paul MAGLOIRE

Articles from Politique Etrangère

"Post-Conflict" Democratization in Central Africa: An Anatomy of Failure

04 June 2019

To create a political shift that draws a line under conflict once and for all, it is not always enough to draft a democratic constitution and call elections.

Thierry VIRCOULON

Articles from Politique Etrangère

Will There Be an Authoritarian Resurgence in Africa?

04 June 2019

Elections are held on a regular basis in various African countries, but democracy is far from flourishing.

Victor MAGNANI Thierry VIRCOULON

Papers

Reflections on 17 years of UN presence in the Democratic Republic of Congo

26 April 2016

Since 2013 and the victory of the Congolese armed forces and the United Nations over the last serious threat against the regime - the 23 March (M23) movement-, the question of the relevance of the UN presence in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is raised again.

Marc-André LAGRANGE Thierry VIRCOULON

Papers

Burundi: Unravelling the Peace

01 October 2015

Since achieving independence in 1962, Burundi has experienced several episodes of civil war, the last of which came to end when the Arusha Accord was signed in 2000. The gradual return to peace in the wake of the Arusha Accord has been jeopardised by Pierre Nkurunziza’s announcement on 25th April 2015 that he would stand as a candidate for the presidency.

Thierry VIRCOULON Solène BRABANT

Articles from Politique Etrangère

Regionalizing Maritime Security in the Gulf of Guinea: A Short-term Solution

01 September 2015

Piracy and armed robbery at sea are a threat to security in the hydrocarbon-rich Gulf of Guinea.

Thierry VIRCOULON Violette TOURNIER

Editorials

China and Africa: the Honeymoon is Over

20 July 2015

For the new geopolitical reality called “Chinafrica”, the future may not be destined to be as radiant as the official win-win rhetoric would have us believe. Although the beginning of the century was notable for the exponential development of Sino-African trade (which grew from $10 billion in 2000 to $210 billion in 2013), a series of emerging problems seem to be signalling that the Sino-African honeymoon is over and that we are back with the harsh realities of the globalised economy.

Thierry VIRCOULON Victoria MADONNA

Papers

Thinking and Anticipating the Socio-Economic Impacts of the Humanitarian Response in the Central African Republic

02 July 2015

Nowadays, the Central African Republic (CAR) is a country dependent on international aid.

Thierry VIRCOULON Charlotte ARNAUD

Papers

Andris Piebalgs, European Commissioner for Development

The European Union's Development Aid : from Development to Security, the Example of the European Development Fund

01 November 2014

In the course of its institutional development and the expansion of its activities, the European Union (EU) has tended to pile up rather than to rationalize its policies, creating a financial tool per objective. As a result, the European funds have become a labyrinth, for which management costs are high.

Dominique LECOMPTE Thierry VIRCOULON

Papers

How to Create a Public Policy in a Failed State: The Challenge of Securing Land Rights in Eastern Congo

22 October 2012

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) 32 years of dictatorship and almost ten years of war have bled the country dry and left its administration incapable of providing the population with basic services and the government incapable of applying or even formulating public policy.

Thierry VIRCOULON Florence LIEGEOIS