Dr. Siaka Traoré

Short Bio

Dr. Siaka Traoré is a military historian and Senior Lecturer (CAMES), active since 2022. He is the author of the first doctoral thesis in military history defended at the Department of History of Alassane Ouattara University (Bouaké, Côte d’Ivoire), entitled “Security Forces in Côte d’Ivoire 1886-1961”. He works on defense and security issues as well as military history in West Africa, from the colonial period to the present day.

He is President of the Organizing Committee for the symposium on “Defense and Security in the Face of Crises in West Africa”, held on 28-30 October 2026 at Alassane Ouattara University. He regularly participates in seminars at the Armed Forces Academy in Zambakro, contributing to the training of officers from the Ivorian army as well as those from other African countries. At the International Counter-Terrorism Academy in Jacqueville, Côte d’Ivoire, in March 2026, he was part of the first cohort of trainers trained in “Raising Awareness Among Law Enforcement Forces in the Fight Against Terrorism”.

Deputy Editor-in-Chief of the journal Les Cahiers du Larsoc (CDL), he is a member of the LARSOC (Laboratory for Research on Societies and Civilizations) Directorate, Secretary General of the History Teaching Unit, and Deputy Head of Master’s 2 students in the History Department at Alassane Ouattara University. In this capacity, he also serves on the Examination and Scientific Committees of the History Department at Alassane Ouattara University.

Selected Publications

• Traoré, S., & Djigbé, S. F. E. (2026). On the front of the militarization of women in West African armies: dynamics and challenges in Côte d’Ivoire. Dônni, Special Issue 5, 83-100.
• Traoré, S. (2024). The developmental actions of military engineering in Côte d’Ivoire: From origins to post-2011 crisis reconstruction. Les Cahiers du Larsoc, 1(3), 107-127.
• Traoré, S. (2024). The military health service in Côte d’Ivoire: Achievements and trajectories 1843-1921. Histarc, Gabonese Review of History and Archaeology, 13, 113-141.
• Traoré, S. (2024). Reorganization of the defense of French Central and Eastern Africa 1955-1957: Costs and geostrategic stakes. Rivages, 10(1), 85-107.
• Traoré, S. (2023). Preparations for colonial wars in West Africa: The case of the Kong column 1887-1895. Revue d’histoire méditerranéenne, 5(1), 71-84.

Project Description

Counter-terrorism strategies and insecurity in West Africa: Dynamics of ‘Grass-based combat’ in Côte d’Ivoire

This study analyzes the causes of the community-based approach to the fight against terrorism and insecurity in post-crisis Côte d’Ivoire. Based primarily on data from an oral history survey conducted in the central region and in the tri-border area with Mali and Burkina Faso, it addresses the following central question: how has the community-based approach to the fight against terrorism contributed to the current security situation in Côte d’Ivoire?

To protect itself from the spread of terrorist attacks from Sahelian countries, particularly Mali and Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire has chosen to focus on community-based responses alongside military responses. These responses are both infrastructural and human. On a human level, the country has fostered the integration of communities and various groups of people in the collection and transmission of intelligence to decision-making bodies to enable a timely response. Upstream, these actors play a role in the prevention chain through awareness campaigns against the seductive songs of jihadist recruiters.

In regions exposed to temptation, units of the Ivorian army, along with partner organizations, continue to develop socioeconomic infrastructure (schools, water pumps, roads, markets, etc.) to improve the daily lives of the population. This study will seek to determine whether this Ivorian strategy has been truly decisive in combating the spread of terrorism in the Sahel, and why and how it can be improved.

Keywords: Africa, counter-terrorism, Côte d'Ivoire, military history, security, West Africa