Aude Darnal was an associate director at the New American Engagement Initiative (NAEI) in the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security, which aimed to critically examine the core assumptions of American grand strategy and propose fresh, innovative ideas for US foreign policy. Aude’s work focused on the critical analysis and understanding of armed conflicts and of the humanitarian-development-peace nexus, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.

Prior to joining the Atlantic Council, Aude worked as a mobile safety advisor for the Lake Chad Basin at INSO. She worked in Maiduguri, Nigeria and Maroua, Cameroon, gathering data and performing empirical analysis on organized armed groups as well as providing support for security related issues and access to humanitarian NGOs. She previously worked in Guinea as Search For Common Ground’s program associate and was responsible for program development, advocacy, and external relations with donors and institutional partners. There, she had the opportunity to work on a wide range of issues related to electoral violence, sustainable business practices, and the respect of human rights particularly in the mining sector, in women and youth empowerment, and in civil society. She also has experience in research, strategic communication, and project management thanks to her work in Dakar, Senegal with the International Dakar Forum on Peace and Security in Africa; in Washington, DC with the Organization of American States and International Crisis Group—where she developed a particular interest in the Sahel region—and in New York City with the Delegation of the European Union to the United Nations.

Aude holds a Master of Science in Conflict Studies from the London School of Economics and Political Science and a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations and International Law from the University of Quebec in Montreal.