Beatriz de León Cobo

Beatriz de León Cobo is a researcher and an analyst specialising in security, conflict dynamics and violent radicalisation in West Africa and the Sahel. She works as a Conflict, Justice, and Security Advisor for First Call Partners.

Her main research interests include countering violent extremism, political and conflict analysis, stabilisation, and armed groups dynamics in West Africa and Europe. She is also a PhD candidate in sociology at Sorbonne University specialising in radicalisation. Previously, she has worked as an independent consultant for governments, NGOs, international organisations and think tanks in the field of conflict and security analysis for West Africa. She is also an analyst at the Centre for International Security of the Francisco de Vitoria University (Madrid), where she leads the ‘Forum de Dialogue Sahel Europe’.

She has collaborated closely with international academic institutions, NGOs, think tanks, research groups and medias by producing analysis and conducting research such as Synopia, le laboratoire des gouvernances, Friedrich Naumann Foundation, Institut des Hautes Études du Monde Religieux, Radio Television Española, the Spanish Institute of Strategic Studies, Women in International Security, Union Africaine des ONG de Développement (France), and the Radicalisation Awareness Network (RAN)- European Commission.

Beatriz holds a master’s degree (MA) in Defence, Security and Crisis Management from the Institut de Relations Internationales Strátegiques (IRIS).