Dr. Ladd Serwat is ACLED’s Africa Senior Analyst. He conducts and coordinates analysis, contributes to the oversight of regional data coverage, manages senior researchers, and serves as the main point of contact for partnerships and external engagement on the Africa desk.
With expertise on the Wagner Group, development policy, and land-related conflict in Africa, Ladd has over 15 years of experience in non-profits, academia, and the private sector. While working broadly across Africa, Ladd specializes in the Great Lakes region, where he has lived, traveled, and worked since 2008. Before joining ACLED, Ladd held several positions focused on humanitarian, development, and youth issues in Burundi, Ethiopia, Tanzania, and the United States.
Ladd holds a PhD in International Development from the University of Sussex, an MSc in African Development from the London School of Economics, and studied International Relations and French at Gonzaga University. His recent publications on the Wagner Group have been featured in major outlets such as TIME, The New York Times, and Le Monde.
In April 2025, a JNIM offensive drove a surge in violence to record levels in Benin, battles escalated amid President Kiir’s political reshuffling in South Sudan, and fatal battles took place in Somalia's Hirshabelle.
In March 2025, M23 and FARDC allies became increasingly active following the ceasefire agreement in the DRC, battles surged amid a Fano offensive in Ethiopia's Amhara region, and military airstrikes against insurgents in Nigeria's Borno state increased.
The Democratic Republic of Congo's mineral conflict, focusing on M23's expansion.
Following talks, the Rwandan and Congolese presidents agreed to a ceasefire in the M23 rebellion, though conflicts may persist.
In March, deadly attacks against ethnic Fulani increased in CAR, an ISSP offensive contributed to a rise in fatalities in Niger, and the SAF captured numerous locations and strategic parts of Khartoum.
The M23 expands beyond its 2012 rebellion with significant territorial gains in Bukavu and North Kivu.
M23 offensive in South Kivu province advances towards Bukavu amid international ceasefire calls.
In January 2025, the M23 and RDF took over Goma city in the DRC, JNIM sustained pressure on urban centers in Burkina Faso and Mali, and remote violence involving IS Somalia Province surged.
Watch ACLED analysts on Somalia, the Sahel, the Lake Chad Basin, the Great Lakes region, and northern Mozambique, for another in-depth analysis of IS’s pivot to Africa and the evolving nature of African regional security.
The Islamic State is increasingly pivoting its operations toward Africa. Watch the recorded webinar for a deep dive with our experts as they examined IS’s expanding strongholds, providing insights into the actions of the group in five African regions.
