I have broader interests in conflict and security, transitional justice and peacebuilding. I study how states maintain security by exploring government action towards political violence, conflict, terrorism, and insurgency especially in sub-Saharan Africa. Using qualitative methods, I pay particular attention to the variations in militarized responses to acts of terrorism within a state. I examine whether government elite interests or political interests determine responses to these acts within terror-affected areas. I further investigate how government discourse impact responses.