Director, Africa programme
Horn of Africa: Sudan/South Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea; Red Sea political/security/economic aspects; mediation/conflict resolution; humanitarianism
English, German, Arabic, French (conversational)
Theodore Murphy is the director of the Africa programme at the European Council for Foreign Relations.
Murphy managed emergency response missions for Doctors Without Borders, in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Sudan. He has published and lectured on humanitarian issues writ large and specifically in the context of the Greater War on Terror. At Amnesty International, Murphy coordinated all research and publications on Sudan as well as media appearances. Writing for the International Crisis Group, Murphy focused on the dynamics in the Chad/Darfur region contributing to public reports on these issues.
From 2007-2011, Murphy worked in conflict resolution/mediation with the United Nations and in the non-governmental sector in the Horn of Africa and Middle East. He served as Expert Advisor to the AU/UN mediation team in Darfur in 2007-08. In 2011, Murphy was appointed by the UN Secretary General to the Panel of Experts for Libya where he served in the post of Regional Expert. As a Course Director and Fellow for the Geneva Centre for Security Policy, Murphy designed and led accredited training for diplomats, military, and multilateral staff on the topic of Engagement with Non State Actors.
Working closely with the German MFA, from 2012 onwards, Murphy oversaw mediation initiatives throughout the Horn of Africa. Amongst others, he negotiated an internationally recognized political agreement in Darfur and supported efforts towards creating a Red Sea Forum.
Murphy holds degrees from McGill University and the School for Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) London.
Middle powers are shaping a fragmented world for which Europe is ill prepared. To protect its interests and values, the EU needs a foreign policy strategy that emphasises its wide range of interdependencies
The EU could form coalitions with the African Union at G20 summits on a variety of issues. To prepare for this, it should work with both the current and developing representatives of the organisation
The EU and its member states typically refuse to cooperate with unconstitutional governments. But they need to safeguard their security support to Niger to help combat the spread of jihadism in the region and prevent a counter-offer by Wagner
The war in Sudan has given rise to multiple – and sometimes divisive – mediation efforts. The EU and its member states should aim to help unify these efforts and end the warring parties’ ‘forum shopping’
The changing global order has created an enabling environment for the recent spike of takeovers in Africa’s ‘coup belt’ – with Russia and newly assertive middle powers offering themselves as partners to putschists
Mark Leonard welcomes Theo Murphy, Pavel Slunkin, Kadri Liik, and Kirill Shamiev to shed light on the possible consequences of Yevgeny Prigozhin’s death
Resisting the drift into US-China duopoly will be welcome among states of the global south – and will strengthen Europe’s relations across the board
European and US support for African representation on the UNSC exposes the emptiness of Russia’s rhetoric on Africa and the global order. European leaders should take every opportunity to advance the issue of a permanent African seat or seats
The event will convene a select group of European decision-makers and opinion-shapers from across business, civil society, European governments and the European Commission
The experience of 2022 is a sharp reminder to Europeans that the states of the global south want to reform existing international arrangements. They should begin to negotiate on how this could look
Middle powers are shaping a fragmented world for which Europe is ill prepared. To protect its interests and values, the EU needs a foreign policy strategy that emphasises its wide range of interdependencies
The Trump years galvanised Europeans’ efforts to strengthen their own sovereignty; they now need to agree concrete offers they can make to the new administration
The EU could form coalitions with the African Union at G20 summits on a variety of issues. To prepare for this, it should work with both the current and developing representatives of the organisation
The EU and its member states typically refuse to cooperate with unconstitutional governments. But they need to safeguard their security support to Niger to help combat the spread of jihadism in the region and prevent a counter-offer by Wagner
The war in Sudan has given rise to multiple – and sometimes divisive – mediation efforts. The EU and its member states should aim to help unify these efforts and end the warring parties’ ‘forum shopping’
The changing global order has created an enabling environment for the recent spike of takeovers in Africa’s ‘coup belt’ – with Russia and newly assertive middle powers offering themselves as partners to putschists
Resisting the drift into US-China duopoly will be welcome among states of the global south – and will strengthen Europe’s relations across the board
European and US support for African representation on the UNSC exposes the emptiness of Russia’s rhetoric on Africa and the global order. European leaders should take every opportunity to advance the issue of a permanent African seat or seats
The experience of 2022 is a sharp reminder to Europeans that the states of the global south want to reform existing international arrangements. They should begin to negotiate on how this could look
Russia is exploiting weaknesses in Europe’s relationships with states across Africa. Germany will need to set a precedent in Mali if it is to respond to this challenge effectively.
By making new offers of partnership to African countries, Russia is setting a trap for the West
The EU’s values-led foreign policy and its stabilisation objectives in the Sahel are in tension with each other. Russia is now waiting to exploit that tension.
Mark Leonard welcomes Theo Murphy, Pavel Slunkin, Kadri Liik, and Kirill Shamiev to shed light on the possible consequences of Yevgeny Prigozhin’s death
What are the regional implications of the Tigray conflict and the prospects for transatlantic cooperation around the issue?
Where do we stand now in building a “strategic partnership” between the European and African continent?
When Biden enters the White House, he will look for a Europe that brings solutions rather than problems. Europeans should show they can be an equal partner & offer him a new transatlantic bargain.
The event will convene a select group of European decision-makers and opinion-shapers from across business, civil society, European governments and the European Commission
This event takes place in the context of the 10th Tana High-Level Forum on Security in Africa
ECFR is launching a series of high-level convenings, with a view to defining a shared concept of the Africa-Europe strategic partnership in the emerging new global order
European officials and thinkers to talk about challenges and opportunities presented by today’s political, security and economic crises
To what extent can the European Green Deal and Global Gateway be shaped to satisfy both European and African interests?
The European Council on Foreign Relations is delighted to invite you to our webinar on what the latest developments mean for Europe’s engagement in the Sahel.
This event is part of the German Forum on Security Policy #DFS2021
The roundtable will focus on the state of the Africa-Europe relationship with its challenges and opportunities, and the role that Southern Europe could play in the process
Online discussion on ECFR’s recent policy brief African regional cooperation: How to navigate Africa’s institutional landscape and mapping project by Amandine Gnanguênon
The economic knock-on effects of the COVID19 pandemic are severe all over the world but Africa is particularly exposed. As governments’ ability to respond to the…
Ameer Chughtai and Theodore Murphy on mediation efforts in Sudan
It’s not very much about Africa, it’s using Africa to increase Russia’s position on the global stage. There’s probably a couple of different objectives they have, but very low down on the list for Ru
Theodore Murphy comments on the Russia-Africa summit
It’s not very much about Africa, it’s using Africa to increase Russia’s position on the global stage. There’s probably a couple of different objectives they have, but very low down on the list
Theodore Murphy comments on the Russia-Africa summit
An alternative Grain Deal allows Putin to claim he continues to put the agro-commodity needs of Africa first, while bypassing Ukraine
Theodore Murphy comments on food security relations between Russia and Africa
I believe that the main promoter of this trip is South Africa. At the heart of the visit is not the resolution of the conflict, but the demonstration of South Africa’s non-alignment.
Theodore Murphy comments on the visit to Kyiv paid by the South African president and other African Union leaders
