Natasja Rupesinghe
Research FellowNatasja Rupesinghe is a PhD fellow in the Peace, Conflict and Development Research Group. She is also a DPhil candidate in International Relations in the Department of Politics and International Relations at the University of Oxford at Nuffield College. At Oxford she is a member of the T. E. Lawrence Program on the study of conflict.
Her research focuses on conflict, political violence, civilian agency and protection issues, as well as how states and international organisations like peace and counter-insurgency operations respond to violence and instability. She has conducted fieldwork in Mali, Somalia, Ethiopia and Sri Lanka.
Natasja Rupesinghe’s PhD project examines jihadist insurgencies in the Sahel region of West Africa, focusing on the cases of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger. This research explores a number of interrelated questions including: why do jihadist insurgencies mobilise and develop local systems of rule in some localities and not others? Why do some establish local rule through the use of force and violence, while others employ legitimacy-building techniques, such as providing local justice? Why and how do some communities prevent jihadists from developing a presence in their villages, when doing so involves taking considerable risks? Her project is funded through the Norwegian Research Council’s FRIPRO (funding scheme for independent projects), as part of the NUPI-led international project “Jihadist Insurgent Governance in the Sahel”.
Prior to starting her doctorate, Rupesinghe has been a Research Fellow at NUPI on the Training for Peace Programme and was seconded as a policy officer to the African Union Peace Support Operations Division, at the African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa. She has an MSc in Conflict Studies from the London School of Economics and Political Science, and a BA in European Social and Political Studies specialising in International Relations and French at the University College London.
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News
What's next for the Women, Peace and Security Agenda (WPS)?
29.10.20202020 marks the 20th anniversary of Security Council Resolution 1325. But the important Women, Peace and Security agenda seem to have had a backlash in recent years. -
Research project
Jihadist Governance in the Sahel (JIGOV-Sahel)
2020 - 2024 (Ongoing)This project is about jihadist insurgent governance in West Africa's Sahel region.
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Publication : Report
Assessing the Effectiveness of the United Nations Mission in Mali
Until 2016 MINUSMA managed to strengthen stability in northern Mali, decreasing the number of civilians killed in the conflict, and allowing large numbers of displaced persons to return home. MINUSMA also assisted the peace process, culminating in the 2015 Algiers Agreement. Many of these achievements... -
Publication : Report
Local Drivers of Violent Extremism in Central Mali
This policy brief examines the processes of violent extremist mobilisation and radicalisation in Mopti, Central Mali. Specifically, it looks at the strategies employed by one of the most salient radical jihadist groups in the region, the Katiba Macina. It seeks to answer the following questions: 1)... -
Publication : Rapport/avhandling
Women and the Katiba Macina in Central Mali
2019This policy brief examines the local rule of the Katiba Macina from a gender perspective and addresses the question of women’s participation in the insurgency. The key findings can be summarised as follows. First,controlling gender relations is an important element of the Katiba Macina’s rule, allowing... -
Publication : Rapport/avhandling
Assessing the Effectiveness of the United Nations Mission in Mali (MINUSMA)
This report assesses the extent to which the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) is achieving its current strategic objectives, and the impact the Mission has had on the political and security situation in Mali. Until 2016 MINUSMA managed to strengthen stability in... -
Wed 29 May 2019Event
What is the impact of the UN missions in Mali and South Sudan?
Time: 09:30 Location: NUPIOn the occasion of the International Day of Peacekeeping, NUPI has the pleasure of inviting you to a seminar with a focus on the effectiveness of the UN missions in Mali and South Sudan.
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News
The violence in Mali is getting bloodier, but religion is not necessarily at its root
08.04.2019The massacre of Fulani in central Mali on 23 March marks a grave, new turn in the conflict. How did we get here? NUPI researchers Natasja Rupesinghe and Morten Bøås provide insight into possible reasons. -
Publication : NUPI Policy Brief
The Civilian Casualty Tracking Analysis and Response Cell in the African Union Mission in Somalia: an emerging best practice for AU peace support o...
2019The Civilian Casualty Tracking Analysis and Response Cell (CCTARC) tracks harm to civilians caused by the African Union Mission in Somalia’s (AMISOM) operations including death, injury, Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (SEA) and damage to property including livestock. The cell faces three main types of... -
Publication : Del av bok/rapport
Tangled up in glue: Multilateral crisis responses in Mali
The track record of military rapid response mechanisms, troops on standby, ready to be deployed to a crisis within a short time frame by intergovernmental organizations, remains disappointing. Yet, many of the obstacles to multinational actors launching a rapid and effective military response in times... -
Publication : Del av bok/rapport
WPS and Female Peacekeepers
The chapter provides an overview of the participation of female peacekeeping personnel in UN missions, tracing key target and agenda- setting policy events, as well as examining causes for the slow progress in female participation. The chapter considers female participation in the military, police, and... -
Publication : ARTIKKEL
The Joint Force of the G5 Sahel: An Appropriate Response to Combat Terrorism?
2018The Joint Force of the Group of Five of the Sahel reflects the commitment of African states to cooperate to address common security challenges. Yet, little is known about its counter-terrorism strategy for the region. This article focuses on the security pillar of the G5 Sahel, the Joint Force (FC-G5S),... -
Research project
Effectiveness of Peace Operations Network (EPON)
2018 - 2021 (Ongoing)NUPI together with 40 partners from across the globe have established an international network to undertake research into the effectiveness of peace operations.
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Research project
Support to UN Peace Operations: Ensuring More Effective UN Peace Operations (UNPO)
2017 - 2021 (Ongoing)The aim of this project is to strengthen the ability of UN peace operations to respond to global security challenges and improve their effectiveness.
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Publication : ARTIKKEL
Strengthening community engagement in United Nations peace operations: opportunities and challenges
2016Strengthening and deepening engagement with communities in United Nations (UN) peace operations has emerged as a key priority among high-level reviews of the UN system. The report of the High-level Independent Panel on Peace Operations (HIPPO), the report of the Advisory Group of Experts (AGE) for the... -
Publication : NUPI Policy Brief
How can peacekeepers strengthen their engagement with local communities? Opportunities and challenges in the field
2016This Policy Brief examines the opportunities, challenges and trade-offs that peacekeepers have to face when deciding when, with whom and how to engage effectively at the field level. It argues that by integrating bottom–up and people-centric approaches as a core strategy in peace operations, UN... -
Research project
Training for Peace 2011 - 2019 (TfP)
2011 - 2019 (Completed)The Training for Peace Programme (TfP Programme) is an international programme that contributes towards capacity building within the broader ambit of peace operations in Africa.