Malak Benkirane

Biography

Malak Benkirane joined the Egmont Institute in April 2026 as a Research Trainee for the Africa programme.  She is a PhD researcher in political science at the Centre for the Study of Crises and International Conflicts (CECRI) at UCLouvain. She is also affiliated with the Research Group on the Contemporary Arab World (GERMAC) in Belgium.

Malak holds a dual bachelor’s degree in political science from the International University of Rabat and Sciences Po Grenoble (IEP). She obtained a master’s degree in international relations, with a specialization in diplomacy and conflict resolution, from UCLouvain, graduating with high distinction. Her master’s thesis examined the foreign policy of the Kingdom of Morocco in relation to the Sahel conflict.

Prior to starting her PhD, she completed an internship at the Royal Higher Institute for Defence (IRSD), where she conducted research on insecurity in the Sahel region and on geopolitical reconfigurations in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).

Her current research focuses on the African policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran, with particular emphasis on its role in the Sahel conflict. Her academic interests include high-intensity conflicts, peace processes, state fragility, terrorism, radicalisation, and foreign intervention.