APSP Research and Policy Analysis

Mercy Fekadu (PhD), Associate Professor

Mercy Fekadu (PhD), Associate Professor

Director, Institute for Peace and Security Studies, Director ARUA

Cynthia Happi

Cynthia Happi

African Solutions Journal (AfSOL) Managing Editor

Maysoon Mukhier

Maysoon Mukhier

Researcher

Jesutimilehin O. Akamo

Jesutimilehin O. Akamo

Research and Policy Analysis unit Coordinator

Abraham Gelaw

Abraham Gelaw

Researcher

© 2025 Institute for Peace and Security Studies

 

Mercy Fekadu, Associate Professor

Director, Institute for Peace and Security Studies

 

 

 

Mercy Fekadu Mulugeta (Ph.D.) is an Associate Professor and Interim Director, Institute for Peace and Security Studies, AAU, and Secretariat Member of the Tana High-Level Forum on Security in Africa (Nov 2011–On-Going). Her research interests include; Borderland Governance, Boundary and Territorial conflict, Security Governance, Statehood, Conflict, Small Arms and Light Weapons, Disarmament, Regionalisms, Women, Peace, and Security.

Research grants won:

    • Principal Investigator (Oct 2020 to Oct 2021): Facebook-funded research project entitled Dangerous Speech, Social Media and Violence in Ethiopia;
    • Co-Investigator (April 2020 to March 2023): UKRI/ GCRF funded project entitled Dangerous Speech, Social Media and Violence in Ethiopia;
    • Principal Investigator(May to August 2020): Netherland Institute for Multiparty Democracy (NIMD)  funded project entitled Probing the practice of Representation for informed Intervention in Parliaments (PRIP): Focus on the House of People’s Representatives of Ethiopia;
    • Principal Investigator (2018 to Dec 2019): GIZ/ African Union border programme funded Research project entitled Research on Boundary and Territorial Conflict Eastern and Greater Horn of Africa;Principal Investigator(2018-2019): Global Research Network on Parliaments and People funded research project entitled Bridging research and innovation for democratic governance and enhanced participation (BRIDGE 4 Participation);
    • Principal Investigator (2017-2019): ESRC – DfID funded research project entitled Shifting Inequality Dynamics in Ethiopia: From Research to Practice (SIDERA);

 

Recent publications:

    • Hodbod, J., Stevenson, E. G., Akall, G., Akuja, T., Angelei, I., Bedasso, E. A., … Mercy Fekadu Mulugeta& Kamski, B. (2019). Social-ecological change in the Omo-Turkana basin: A synthesis of current developments. Ambio, 1-17.
    • Mercy Fekadu Mulugeta;Gebresenbet, F., Tariku, Y., & Nettir, E. (2019). Fundamental Challenges in Academic–Government Partnership in Conflict Research in the Pastoral Lowlands of Ethiopia. IDSBulletin, 50(1).
    • Mercy Fekadu Mulugeta(2017) Small Arms And Conflict Among East African Pastoralists: The Karamoja (In)Security Complex. Africa, 87(4), Oct 2017.
    • Mercy Fekadu Mulugeta, Gebresenbet, F., and Kamski, B. (2019). Sugar industry in the Lower Omo: Exploring different scenarios of privatization. (Briefing Note #6). In Omo-Turkana Research Network Briefing Notes, edited by J. Hodbod & E.G.J. Stevenson. East Lansing, MI: OTuRN.
    • Mercy Fekadu Mulugeta.Digital Participation in Ethiopia: A presentation of a web based application (BRIDGE)for the House of People’s Representatives. (2019). Policy Brief. Bete-Semay Creative Media.

 

 

Cynthia Happi

Managing Editor of the African Solutions Journal (AfSoL)

 

 

 

Cynthia Happi is the Managing Editor of the African Solutions Journal (AfSoL) at the Institute for Peace and Security Studies (IPSS), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. She holds a master’s degree in international relations (International disputes and conflict resolution) from the International Relations Institute of Cameroon (IRIC) and is currently pursuing a joint PhD in Global Studies (with a special emphasis on peace and security in Africa) at Leipzig University and Addis Ababa University. Prior to joining IPSS, Mrs Cynthia was seconded by the African Union to serve as a Program Support Officer at CEMASTEA in Nairobi, Kenya. She also previously worked for the United Nations Centre for Human Rights and Democracy in Central Africa (UNCHRD-CA). Her research interests are on governance, democracy and electoral conflicts in Africa.

Recent Publications:

Maysoon Mukhier

Researcher

 

 

 

 

 

Maysoon Mukhier holds a Master of Arts in Development Studies from the Institute of Development Studies (IDS), University of Sussex, with research focused on structural inequalities, economic development, political identities, and violent conflict. She has previously contributed to organisations including the Geneva Institute for Human Rights (GIHR), the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). An Arabic-English bilingual, she is currently a researcher based at the Institute for Peace and Security Studies (IPSS), Addis Ababa University.

 

Jesutimilehin O. Akamo

Research and Policy Analysis unit Coordinator

 

 

 

 

 

Jesutimilehin O. Akamo is the Coordinator of the Research and Policy Analysis Unit at the Africa Peace and Security Programme (APSP), IPSS. He is also the Youth Focal Person of the Institute. He obtained his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Obafemi Awolowo University in Nigeria and is currently pursuing his Doctorate in Modern War Studies at the University of Buckingham. He is a member of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA). Jesutimilehin has, through his work, supported the work of the multilateral institutions like the African Union (AU), European Union (EU), United Nations (UN), North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), and some of their member states; as well as some international development bodies like the GIZ, KAS, and FES, among others, on peace and security in Africa. The scope of his research and teaching interests broadly encompasses the following areas: conflict and conflict interventions in Africa, geopolitics and foreign policy analysis, peacebuilding, democratisation, theories of international relations, and African contributions to the philosophy of technology.

Grants and awards (the last 3 years)
  • Visitor, European Union Visitor’s Programme | Brussels, Belgium.
  • Fellow, Friedrich Ebert Stiftung Multilateralism Program | NYC, United State.

 

Publications (list those in the last 3 years)
    • Book (eds): Conflict and the Mind: African Responses to How Armed Violence Shapes Behaviours (Forthcoming 2026/2027).
    • Book Chapter: “The Cart Before the Horse”? Africa’s Lack of Technology Agenda and its Implications for the Artificial Intelligence (AI)-Terrorism Nexus”, In: Gunaratna R, Bhandari C, and Das M (eds). AI and Terrorism. World Scientific Publishing (Forthcoming 2026/7).
    • Book Chapter: “Why Organisms Feed: Silencing the Guns through “Starvation” of Structures, Systems and Cycles of Violence”, In: Erameh NI, Breakfast NB, & Ubi EN (eds). Silencing the Guns, Volume 2: Reviewing the Agenda and Reassessing the Prospects, Palgrave Macmillan. Link.
    • Book Review: “Book Review: Nile Basin Politics: From Coordinated to Cooperative Peace”, ACCORD African Journal on Conflict Resolution 2025 (1). Link.
    • Peer-Reviewed Journal Article: “EU Policy towards Ethiopia amidst the Tigray War: The Limits of Mitigating Fragmentation”, International Spectator 59(1), January 2024. Link.
    • Policy Article: “Africa’s Position in a Changing Global Order and its Strategic Partnership Priorities” In: Akamo JO et al. (eds). Re-imagining African—Nordic relations in a changing global order 2, November 2022.
    • Policy Article: “Ethiopia Towards the 2026 Election”. Link.
    • Policy Article: “Expériences démocratiques et antidémocratiques en Afrique de l’Ouest”, BulletinFrancoPaix, February 2024. Link.
    • Policy Article: “Nigeria’s Journey to the 2027 General Elections: The African Union’s Resolve Under Test, Again”. Link.
    • Policy Article: “The GERD from an Ethiopian Perspective: Actors, Interests, and Instruments”, IAI Papers 22(29), October 2022. Link.
    • Policy Article: “The Loophole in Chapter 8 Article 23 (D) and (E) of the ACDEG: Unconstitutional Changes of Government in Disguise?” IPSS Policy Brief 17(6), December 2023. Link.
    • Policy Article: The “Alternative” Problem and The Future of “African(-Led)” Solutions: A Political Note to African Union Member States. IPSS Policy Brief 17(7). August 2025. Link.
    • Practice Brief: Building a Fit-for-Purpose AU PCRD Centre. Link
    • Practice Brief: Civil Society Organisations, Think Tanks, and Data Gathering for Conflict Prevention. Link
    • Practice Brief: Conflict Prevention in Africa. Link
    • Practice Brief: PCRD Implementation on the Ground: What to do on Inclusivity. Link
    • Practice Brief: Predictable and Sustainable Financing for PCRD in Africa. Link
    • Research Report: “Africa Peace and Security Architecture Impact Assessment Report 2023”, IPSS Impact and Analytical Report, February 2025. Link.
    • Research Report: “Africa Peace and Security Architecture Impact Assessment Report 2021/2”, IPSS Impact and Analytical Report, August 2024. Link.
    • Research Report: “Conflict Insight Report – The Democratic Republic of Congo”, IPSS Peace and Security Reports, April 2021. Link.
    • Research Report: “The Vicious Circle of Fragmentation: The EU and the Limits of Its Approach to Libya”, JOINT Research Papers, February 2023. Link.
    • Technical Report: Monitoring Relationship Dynamics in Conflict-Intervention Contexts, IPSS Technical Report 1.  Link.
    • Working Paper: “The EU-AU renewed partnership: an optimistic outlook and pragmatic challenges in African and Romanian perspectives on consolidating the European Union – African Union partnership”, European Institute of Romania Working Paper Series 44, November 2022. Link.
    • Working Paper: “Youth’s contribution to the EU-AU partnership, in: African and Romanian perspectives on consolidating the European Union – African Union partnership”, November 2022. Link.

Abraham Gelaw Esayas

Researcher, IPSS

 

 

 

 

Abraham Gelaw Esayas is a researcher, legal professional, and law lecturer with extensive experience in peace and security studies and legal matters. He is currently a Researcher at the Institute for Peace and Security Studies (IPSS), Addis Ababa University, where he designs and leads multidisciplinary research projects and contributes to policy-relevant publications on Civil-Military Relations, Transitional Justice, Governance, and Security. Abraham previously served as a defence lawyer at the ENDF Military Court and law lecturer at the Ethiopia Defense University and Ethiopian Navy, teaching civilian law, the Laws of the Sea and the Laws of Armed Conflict, and has fifteen years of professional experience. He holds a Master’s degree in Peace and Security Studies from Addis Ababa University and a Master of Public Administration from Sun Yat-Sen University, China, as well as an LL.B from Mekelle University. His research interests include Civil-Military Relations, Transitional Justice, and peace and security governance.

Recent publications: