Matthew de Waal

Matthew de Waal is an Associate Fellow in the Terrorism and Conflict programme at RUSI. Based between Nairobi, London and Damascus, his research covers how politics, conflict and terrorism are transforming in the Horn of Africa and the Middle East, with particular attention to the political economy of armed groups such as Al-Shabaab, concepts of statehood and geopolitical competition along the Red Sea.

Matthew is a PhD candidate in War Studies at King’s College London, examining how the UAE, Turkey, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Israel have become structurally embedded in the political economies of conflict-affected states in the Horn. He is a member of King’s Conflict, Security and Development Research Group. He holds a first-class MA (Hons) in International Relations from the University of St Andrews.

Matthew has lived and worked in the Horn of Africa for several years, advising governments, NGOs and think tanks on development, politics and security. He joined Sahan Research in Nairobi as Editor in April 2023 and served as Head of Research from December 2024 to May 2026, where he edited the Somali Wire and Ethiopian Cable. He is the co-author of a forthcoming book, examining how Middle Eastern state and non-state actor competition has reshaped geopolitics, state formation and warfare across the Red Sea.