July 31, 2023
Africa: Should Military Leaders Be Barred From Addressing the UN?
A rash of military coups in African countries -- including Burkina Faso, Sudan, Guinea, Mali, and most recently Niger- has raised a legitimate question: What should be the response… Read more »
Niger: Humanitarian Aid Efforts Continue in Niger Despite Military Coup
Nicole Kouassi, the UNDP resident representative in Niger, is constantly faced with the challenge of coordinating aid delivery to 4.3 million people in need. On Wednesday, Kouassi… Read more »
July 12, 2023
Mauritania: Supporting Conflict Prevention & Social Cohesion in Mauritania
Deep in the heart of Southeastern Mauritania lies the district and town of Bassikounou, nestled on the border with neighboring Mali, over 1,200 kilometers from the capital city of… Read more »
June 20, 2023
Africa: Safety of Human Rights Defenders in Exile Imperiled By Host Countries' Declining Civil Rights
Home Away From Home is the theme of World Refugee Day 2023. However, for many, including human rights activists who have fled their homes, a decline in civil rights in their host… Read more »
June 02, 2023
West Africa: Of the Sahel and the Merchants of Death
There is a tangled trafficking web that has been woven across the Sahel, which spans almost 6.000 kilometres from the Atlantic Ocean to the Red Sea, and is home to more than 300… Read more »
May 30, 2023
Africa: Waiting Game for Nigerian Students Awaiting Evacuation From Sudan
Seven weeks after the bloody conflict in Khartoum, Sudan started, and 41 days after the Nigerian government began the evacuation of residents studying there, students are still… Read more »
May 25, 2023
Sudan: As Game of Thrones Rages in Sudan, Neighbours Pay the Price
The conflict in Sudan is impacting the economy in Egypt, and those who make their living moving goods across the borders have spent weeks hoping the situation will normalize. Read more »
May 24, 2023
Africa: How Wagner Group, Mercenaries With a Wider Agenda, Impact Civil Society
The Wagner Group, a shadowy mercenary group that has been operating for many years in African countries such as Sudan, Mali, the Central African Republic, and other mainly… Read more »
May 23, 2023
Africa: Protecting Children in War - No More Time to Wait
In 2021 alone, almost 24,000 grave violations of children's rights in war were documented by the United Nations - these included killing and maiming, sexual violence, use and… Read more »
May 22, 2023
Sudan: Khartoum Is Falling - the Global Community Must Move Fast to Protect Children in Their Darkest Moments
As unprecedentedly fierce armed battles play out on the streets of Khartoum, more than 600 people are dead, thousands injured, and over 1 million displaced. Read more »
May 12, 2023
Sudan: Violence Knows No Borders
Events in Sudan have been a constant topic of conversation in Cairo's coffee houses since the violence erupted there four weeks ago. The images of almost 30 Egyptian soldiers… Read more »
May 08, 2023
Sudan: The Privilege of Making a Choice
A civilian student named Saber was caught in the crossfire in Khartoum. He had two choices: either flee and lose everything; or die. But within a moment his option to choose was… Read more »
May 04, 2023
Sudan: In Sudanese Conflict, Either You Lose Everything, or You Die
On the first day of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr, Sabre Nasr, a young Egyptian man of 20, developed a fever. Read more »
April 24, 2023
Africa: Ukraine War Triggers Record Increase in World Military Spending
The United Nations has warned that the February 2022 Rusian invasion of Ukraine has threatened to force up to 1.7 billion people -- over one-fifth of humanity -- into poverty,… Read more »
April 21, 2023
Sudan: Conflict Marks Failure of Transition Plan
The current fighting in Sudan marks the failure of supposed processes for transition to democratic rule. The international community needs to learn the lessons of this catastrophe… Read more »
April 10, 2023
Africa: Detoxifying Security - Recommendations for the G7 Summit On Nuclear Weapons
The current war in Ukraine has shown that nuclear deterrence is deeply flawed. It relies on the assumption of "rational actors" in power and credibility of threats, which we know… Read more »
March 14, 2023
Africa: Fighter Planes? Yes. Rubber Bullets? No
When the US was planning to sell fighter planes to a politically-repressive regime in South-east Asia in a bygone era, a spokesman for a human rights organization, responding to a… Read more »
West Africa: Terrorism And Its Impacts On Water Access in the Sahel
The writer is Regional Executive Secretary of the Global Water Partnership in West Africa (GWP-WA) Read more »
March 03, 2023
Africa: Most African Govts (3 in 4) Spend More On Arms, Less On Farms
The data is shocking: three-quarters of African Governments have already reduced their agricultural budgets while paying almost double that on arms. Read more »
Africa: The Dynamics of Violent Extremism in Sub-Saharan Africa
There is no better environment for the expansion of violent extremist groups than a vacuum in state authority. It provides ideal conditions for these groups to prey on existing and… Read more »
February 17, 2023
Africa: 'Hate Speech Loads the Gun, Misinformation Pulls the Trigger' - and It Is Profitable
In this world of wars, massive weapons production, sales and use; of sharpening inequalities and deadly climate emergencies, hate speech and its inhumane impact, is being amplified… Read more »
February 14, 2023
Africa: Outlook for 2023 - Children in 'Polycrisis'
The year 2022 was incredibly difficult for people around the world. We were confronted by a series of major crises, including a continuing pandemic, a major war in Europe, an… Read more »
January 06, 2023
Africa: Conflicts, Climate Change Threaten Sprouting of Africa's Great Green Wall #AfricaClimateCrisis
Escalating conflict and climate change threaten the implementation of the Great Green Wall Initiative (GGWI), an ambitious land restoration project across Africa. Read more »
December 23, 2022
Africa: War, Famine, Disease, Disasters - 2022 - a Year Staring At Apocalypse
A year that started with Russia's invasion of Ukraine and is ending with famine in Africa, while still spreading death and misery through an enduring pandemic and a deteriorating… Read more »
December 08, 2022
Africa: Europe and the Refugee Crisis - It's All About Tackling Racism & Discrimination
In 2019, when the President-elect of the European Union (EU) Ursula von der Leyen had presented a list for her soon-to-be European Commission, and on that list was a portfolio… Read more »