Roland Marchal

Roland Marchal serves as a CNRS Researcher at Sciences Po Paris' Center for International Studies (CERI), specializing in African conflicts with regional expertise across Central Africa and the Horn of Africa. His interdisciplinary background bridges mathematics and social sciences, informing rigorous structural analyses of political violence.

Marchal's research examines armed conflict dynamics, great power interventions, and post-colonial state fragility, with particular focus on Sudan, Somalia, and the Central African Republic. His critical perspective challenges conventional security frameworks, especially regarding radicalization policies in Somalia where he argues political exclusion—not religious ideology—drives conflict. Recent work analyzes Russia's strategic overreach in CAR and the complex legacy of colonialism in African civil wars.

His publication trajectory reveals intensifying focus on contemporary crisis analysis (2021-2025), shifting from historical structural studies toward real-time conflict assessment. Articles consistently address methodological challenges of high-risk fieldwork while maintaining critical distance from governmental security narratives.

Marchal actively engages policy communities through commissioned research for French defense ministries and international organizations, though no major scientific awards are documented. His advising role appears limited to research collaboration rather than formal student supervision.

As lead researcher at CERI, Marchal directs projects examining Africa's evolving geopolitical landscape amid great power competition. His work provides essential counter-narratives to mainstream security discourse, emphasizing local political agency within global power struggles.