May 27, 2023
Sudan: How the Generals Disappeared the People On the Way to the Economy
Is independent Sudan's history the haunted tale of military generals meeting their fates on the economic paths they were trying to avoid? Read more »
May 26, 2023
Somalia: Is a Peaceful Somalia Possible? Alternatives to Total War On Al-Shabaab
Debating Ideas aims to reflect the values and editorial ethos of the African Arguments book series, publishing engaged, often radical, scholarship, original and activist writing… Read more »
May 25, 2023
Sudan: Making Pariahs of Al-Burhan and Hemedti Will Unlock the Talks
Until the parties feel that their financial interests are in jeopardy, they won't be prepared to participate in genuine discussions. Read more »
Somalia: The Unexpected Success of Somalia's New Fight Against Al-Shabaab
Why the new Somalia president's declaration of war against the al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabaab is generating a national zeitgeist. Read more »
May 23, 2023
Kenya: The Rebirth of Anti-Elite Land Politics in Ruto's Kenya
If the invasion of the Kenyatta property resurrected the ghosts of Mau Mau, where did it leave the land question in central Kenya? Read more »
May 18, 2023
Sudan: Calling It a Fight Between the Generals Is Simplistic
Northern and Central elites have always prosecuted violence from the centre. Now, the periphery brought the eternal war to Khartoum. Read more »
May 17, 2023
Sudan: Sudan - The Quiet Scramble to Broker the Peace
The Horn's geopolitics are increasingly shaped by rich Gulf hegemons who view the region as a theatre for their competing interests. Read more »
Sudan: Sudan's Catastrophe - a Long History of Failed Responses to Structural and Direct Violence
Debating Ideas aims to reflect the values and editorial ethos of the African Arguments book series, publishing engaged, often radical, scholarship, original and activist writing… Read more »
May 15, 2023
Sudan: As the Generals Fight, Who's Playing Chess With the Old Islamists?
The clash between Burhan and Hemedti was inevitable. In the mediation scramble, nobody can afford to side with Bashir's Islamists. Read more »
May 11, 2023
Burundi: 'The President Has Crossed the Rubicon - There's No Turning Back'
In the wake of the arrest and detention of former PM Alain Guillaume Bunyoni, political observers weigh the consequences. Read more »
May 05, 2023
Sudan: Revolutionary Reflections, Amid a Raging War
If the popular revolution of 2019 was badly undermined by its rejection of representative politics, how can it be revived? Read more »
May 04, 2023
Tanzania: 'They Wish We Didn't Exist' - Tanzania School Goers Speak of Transport Woes
In the daily sharp-elbowed jostle to board daladalas, school students find themselves at the back of the queue. Read more »
May 03, 2023
Ethiopia: Five Reasons to Be Concerned About Gene-Edited Teff
A US research centre has created a new variety of teff, raising unanswered questions over its safety, ownership, and climate implications. Read more »
May 02, 2023
Congo-Kinshasa: Lines Through the Lake - Why the Congo-Rwanda Border Can't Be Redrawn
Long-standing cultural affinities of Rwandophones in the Great Lakes may appear to bolster Kigali's historical claims to parts of eastern Congo, but it's more complicated than it… Read more »
April 25, 2023
Rwanda: Rwanda, Too, Needs to Make Amends
Rwanda accuses Congo-Kinshasa of being unable to put its house in order; it, too, must deal with the question of its 245,000 refugees. Read more »
Somalia: Somalia's Crucible of State-Making
For thirty years the Somali peninsula has been a crucible of experiments in contemporary state formation, a fascinating opportunity to observe and test political-economic theory.… Read more »
April 20, 2023
Africa: Scientists Urge Museveni to Respect LGBTI Rights
Dear President Museveni, Read more »
April 19, 2023
Sudan: What Will Happen in Sudan?
The current crisis exposes the motives of the men with guns. It requires, paradoxically, the intervention of a distracted international community that has done little to support a… Read more »
April 04, 2023
Burundi: 'Let The Women Be Respected' - Activists Tackle Femicide Problem
As authorities turn a blind eye to the growing cases of violence and spousal murder, women's rights activists are increasingly vocal. Read more »
March 29, 2023
Rwanda: Why We're Taking the UK's Asylum Seekers - Rwanda's Explanation
Our detractors have chosen to misconstrue the reasons behind our partnership with London, not least one of our neighbours. Read more »
March 20, 2023
Madagascar: Madagascar's 8th Cyclone in 13 Months Compounds Climate Crises
Though it escaped the worst impacts of Freddy, it hit as Madagascar was still rebuilding from a devastating cyclone in January and six in 2022. Read more »
March 15, 2023
Uganda: Well-Funded Riddles - Notes From Uganda's Sexual Culture War
As Christians fall out over gay rights, the Ugandan state, built on the martyrs who resisted homosexuality, has some soul-searching to do. Read more »
Djibouti: Djibouti Fiddles Amid the Scramble for the Red Sea
Gateway to the Indo-Pacific, Djibouti is becoming the site of a 21st century scramble for ports, military bases, and economic models. Read more »
March 14, 2023
Somalia: The International Community Must Reconsider Its Engagement With Somaliland
Debating Ideas aims to reflect the values and editorial ethos of the African Arguments book series, publishing engaged, often radical, scholarship, original and activist writing… Read more »
March 16, 2023
Uganda: 'Enemies of the State' - Uganda Targets Climate Activists in Quiet Crackdown
Activists say the government is using arrests and psychological torture to avoid signs of abuse that could lead to bad publicity for EACOP investors. Read more »