Gérard Prunier (born 1942, in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

) is a French academic, historian, and consultant. He specializes in African history and affairs —particularly the

Horn of Africa The Horn of Africa (HoA), also known as the Somali Peninsula, is a large peninsula and geopolitical region in East Africa.Robert Stock, ''Africa South of the Sahara, Second Edition: A Geographical Interpretation'', (The Guilford Press; 2004), ...

and the African Great Lakes regions.

Biography

Prunier received a

PhD PHD or PhD may refer to: * Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), an academic qualification Entertainment * '' PhD: Phantasy Degree'', a Korean comic series * ''Piled Higher and Deeper'', a web comic * Ph.D. (band), a 1980s British group ** Ph.D. (Ph.D. albu ...

in African History in 1981 from the

University of Paris , image_name = Coat of arms of the University of Paris.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of Arms , latin_name = Universitas magistrorum et scholarium Parisiensis , motto = ''Hic et ubique terrarum'' (Latin) , mottoeng = Here and a ...

, spending a year at

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

and a stay in

Caracas Caracas (, ), officially Santiago de León de Caracas, abbreviated as CCS, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela, and the center of the Metropolitan Region of Caracas (or Greater Caracas). Caracas is located along the Guaire River in the ...

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

. In 1984, he joined the

CNRS The French National Centre for Scientific Research (french: link=no, Centre national de la recherche scientifique, CNRS) is the French state research organisation and is the largest fundamental science agency in Europe. In 2016, it employed 31,637 ...

scientific institution in

as a researcher. He later also became Director of the French Centre for Ethiopian Studies in

Addis Ababa Addis Ababa (; am, አዲስ አበባ, , new flower ; also known as , lit. "natural spring" in Oromo), is the capital and largest city of Ethiopia. It is also served as major administrative center of the Oromia Region. In the 2007 census, t ...

. Prunier has published over 120 articles and five books. He is fluent in his native

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

, as well as

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

and Spanish. He also has good knowledge of Italian and

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

, and a basic knowledge of

Juba Arabic Juba Arabic (, ; ar, عربية جوبا, ‘Arabīyat Jūbā), also known since 2011 as South Sudanese Arabic, is a lingua franca spoken mainly in Equatoria Province in South Sudan, and derives its name from the South Sudanese capital, Juba. I ...

(Sudanese colloquial Arabic) and Swahili.

Published works

;Books * ''Les Ethnies ont une histoire'' (ed. with ), Paris : Karthala, 1989, * ''L'Ouganda et la question indienne : 1896-1972'', Paris : Editions Recherche sur les civilisations, 1990 * ''The Rwanda Crisis: History of a Genocide'',

Columbia University Press Columbia University Press is a university press based in New York City, and affiliated with Columbia University. It is currently directed by Jennifer Crewe (2014–present) and publishes titles in the humanities and sciences, including the fiel ...

, 1995, * ''Le Kenya contemporain'', (ed. with François Grignon), Paris : Karthala & Nairobi : IFRA, 1998, * ''Darfur: The Ambiguous Genocide'',

Cornell University Press The Cornell University Press is the university press of Cornell University; currently housed in Sage House, the former residence of Henry William Sage. It was first established in 1869, making it the first university publishing enterprise in th ...

, 2005, * ''L'Éthiopie contemporaine'' (director), CFEE-Karthala, Addis Abeba and Paris, 2007, *:with Ficquet, Éloi. ''Understanding contemporary Ethiopia'', L.:

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...

, 2015 — english edition
''From Genocide to Continental War: The "Congolese" Conflict and the Crisis of Contemporary Africa''
C. Hurst & Co., 2009, *:Published in the US as ''Africa’s World War: Congo, the Rwandan Genocide, and the Making of Continental Catastrophe'',

, 2009, * ''Urgence Darfour'' with Morad El Hattab (direction),

André Glucksmann André Glucksmann (; 19 June 1937 – 10 November 2015) was a French philosopher, activist and writer. He was a leading figure of the new philosophers. Glucksmann began his career as a Marxist, but went on to reject communism in the popular book ...

Bernard Kouchner Bernard Kouchner KBE (born 1 November 1939) is a French politician and doctor. He is the co-founder of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) and Médecins du Monde. From 2007 until 2010, he was the French Minister of Foreign and European Affairs ...

Bernard-Henri Lévy Bernard-Henri Lévy (; ; born 5 November 1948) is a French public intellectual. Often referred to in France simply as BHL, he was one of the leaders of the " Nouveaux Philosophes" (New Philosophers) movement in 1976. His opinions, political acti ...

, , , Rossin Richard,

Philippe Val Philippe Val (; born 14 September 1952) is a French journalist, singer, and comedian. He was a co-founder of the second iteration of ''Charlie Hebdo'', serving as the satirical political weekly's editor and director. After leaving ''Charlie He ...

, Paris: Des idées & des hommes, 2007 * ''The Country That Does Not Exist: A History of Somaliland'' — New York: Oxford University Press, 2021 ;Articles *
Burundi: A Manageable Crisis?
, WRITENET (UK), October 1994 *
Sudan’s regional war
, ''

Le Monde diplomatique ''Le Monde diplomatique'' (meaning "The Diplomatic World" in French) is a French monthly newspaper offering analysis and opinion on politics, culture, and current affairs. The publication is owned by Le Monde diplomatique SA, a subsidiary com ...

'', February 1997 * "Rwanda: the Social, Political and Economic Situation", WRITENET (UK), June 1997 *
Somaliland, a forgotten country
, ''Le Monde diplomatique'', October 1997 *
Uganda, nearly a miracle
, ''Le Monde diplomatique'', February 1998 *
Somalia re-invents itself
, ''Le Monde diplomatique'', April 2000 *
Sudan: irreconcilable differences
''Le Monde diplomatique'', December 2002 * "Did Somebody Say Genocide?: Gérard Prunier on Darfur", ''

Harper's Magazine ''Harper's Magazine'' is a monthly magazine of literature, politics, culture, finance, and the arts. Launched in New York City in June 1850, it is the oldest continuously published monthly magazine in the U.S. (''Scientific American'' is older, b ...

'', August 2006 *
Darfur's Sudan problem
,

OpenDemocracy.net openDemocracy is an independent media platform and news website based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 2001, openDemocracy states that through reporting and analysis of social and political issues, they seek to "challenge power and encourage de ...

, 15 September 2006
The Ethio-Eritrean Conflict: An Essay in Interpretation Armed Movements in Sudan, Chad, CAR, Somalia Eritrea and Ethiopia

From Fatigues to Three-Piece Suits: East African Guerrillas in Power

Why did South Sudan blow up in December 2013 and what is likely to happen as a result?

References

External links

* Fergal Keane
Interview of Prunier on the Rwandan Genocide

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcasting, public broadcaster and Non-commercial activity, non-commercial, Terrestrial television, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly fu ...

's ''

Frontline Front line refers to the forward-most forces on a battlefield. Front line, front lines or variants may also refer to: Books and publications * ''Front Lines'' (novel), young adult historical novel by American author Michael Grant * ''Frontlines ...

'' (early 1997)
Gerard Prunier on 'la francophonie' under threat
at ''Just World News'' blog with

Helena Cobban Helena Cobban (born 1952) is a British-American writer and researcher on international relations, with special interests in the Middle East, the international system, and transitional justice. She is a non-resident Senior fellow at the Washingt ...

, 31 May 2004 *
Articles by Prunier
at openDemocracy French scholars People of the Rwandan genocide People of the War in Darfur University of Paris alumni Historians of Africa Living people Historians of Kenya 1942 births {{France-academic-bio-stub