June 05, 2023
Sudan: Sudan's War Is Wrecking a Lot, Including Its Central Bank - a Legacy of Trailblazing African American Economist and Banker Andrew Brimmer
The war in Sudan between two rival generals for control of the country is devastating in so many ways. Hundreds of civilians have been killed, thousands injured and more than 1… Read more »
June 06, 2023
East Africa: War in Sudan Puts South Sudan in Danger Too
Twelve years after independence, South Sudan remains extremely poor and underdeveloped. A peace deal brokered in 2018 has failed to end conflict. And the government has failed to… Read more »
June 05, 2023
Ethiopia: Ethiopia's Musicians Fled the Country After the 1974 Revolution - How Their Culture Lives On
The overthrow of Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie in 1974 led to violent conflict that had a particularly heavy impact on musicians. Sing and Sing On: Sentinel Musicians and the… Read more »
June 04, 2023
Tanzania: Tanzania Has Moved Its Capital From Dar After a 50-Year Wait - but Is Dodoma Ready?
Tanzania designated Dodoma as its new capital in place of the seaside city of Dar es Salaam following a public referendum 50 years ago. Since then, the country has made small steps… Read more »
May 31, 2023
Uganda: Anti-Homosexuality Law Is a Patriarchal Backlash Against Progress
Ugandan president Yoweri Museveni assented to the anti-homosexuality bill on 29 May 2023. The new law legislates, among other things, a five-year jail term for "promoting… Read more »
Kenya: How the British Used Street Names to Show Colonial Power
Place names, along with other urban symbols, were used as a tool of control over space in many African countries during the colonial period. This strategy was epitomised by the… Read more »
May 30, 2023
Ethiopia: How a Lucky Village in Tigray Survived the Devastating War
The war waged by the Ethiopian Federal Government and Eritrea against the Tigray regional government, which lasted from November 2020 to November 2022, caused massive devastation.… Read more »
May 29, 2023
Kenya: China in Africa - Kenya Railway Study Shows Investment Projects Aren't a One-Way Street
China is an important economic player in Africa. In 2021 alone, China accounted for nearly US$5 billion in foreign direct investment in African countries. The rapidly increasing… Read more »
May 28, 2023
Africa: What Makes Peace Talks Successful? The 4 Factors That Matter
Peace talks that seek to end armed conflicts are underway in several African countries. Because very few conflicts are resolved on the battlefield, negotiations are fundamental.… Read more »
May 24, 2023
Sudan: Peace in Sudan Depends On Justice for the Darfur Genocide
I asked the pilot to deviate from our approved flight path and go low over Darfur. It was 2003 and I was the United Nations Humanitarian and Resident Coordinator in Sudan… Read more »
May 23, 2023
Sudan: Sudan's Peace Mediation Should Be Led By the African Union - 3 Reasons Why
Questions about who mediates in a conflict - and when - are crucial. Mediation is about trust, an awareness of regional realities and insights into complex politics. It should… Read more »
May 22, 2023
Somalia: Somaliland Crisis - Delayed Elections and Armed Conflict Threaten Dream of Statehood
With a presidential election delayed for months and deadly clashes between security forces and clan militias, Somaliland's reputation for stability lies in ruins. Violence erupted… Read more »
Sudan: Khartoum - the Creation and the Destruction of a Modern African City
Khartoum is - was - a city that did not know war or fighting in its recent history. Now it is in the grip of a civil war between rival military forces. Read more »
May 21, 2023
Africa: Grand Infrastructure Projects Aren't a Magic Bullet for Industrial Development - Insights From Ghana and Kenya
The African Union's flagship Agenda 2063 initiative prioritises large-scale infrastructure development and promises to "link the continent by rail, road, sea and air". Read more »
May 18, 2023
Kenya: Baboon Bonds - New Study Reveals That Friendships Make Up for a Bad Start in Life
Childhoods can predict a great deal about how adult lives might play out. For instance, research has shown that people whose childhoods involve poverty, abuse and neglect have… Read more »
May 17, 2023
Sudan: University Students Have a Long History of Political Activism
The latest fighting to erupt in Sudan has plunged the nation into a fresh crisis. Since 15 April, conflict between the Sudan Armed Forces and the paramilitary group Rapid Support… Read more »
May 15, 2023
Rwanda: Thriving in the Face of Adversity - Resilient Gorillas Reveal Clues About Overcoming Childhood Misfortune
In 1974, an infant mountain gorilla was born in Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda. Researchers named him Titus. As is typical for young gorillas in the wild, Titus spent the first… Read more »
May 16, 2023
Kenya: Kenya's Political Elites Switch Parties With Every Election - How This Fuels Violence
Barely seven months after leaving office, Kenya's former president Uhuru Kenyatta is battling to keep together the party that won him a second term and a majority in parliament in… Read more »
May 15, 2023
Sudan: Sudan Is Awash With Weapons - How the Two Forces Compare and What That Means for the War
Armed conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces has escalated following an outbreak of violence in April 2023. There is intensive… Read more »
Ethiopia: Ethiopia's Ambitious Housing Policy Divides Communities
The shortage of adequate housing in cities is an issue around the globe, particularly among developing countries that are rapidly urbanising. The UN estimates that more than one… Read more »
May 08, 2023
Kenya: Kenya's Starvation Cult Left Hundreds Dead - a Psychologist's View On How to Support People As They Process Tragedy
In early April 2023, Kenyan police discovered a mass grave linked to a Pentecostal church in the coastal town of Malindi. By the end of the month, at least 110 bodies had been dug… Read more »
May 14, 2023
East Africa: Most East African Refugees Are Hosted Close to Borders - It's a Deliberate War Strategy
There are close to 4 million people living in refugee camps across Africa. Of the more than 300 camps, nearly 70% are situated within 30km-50km of an international border. They… Read more »
May 11, 2023
Sudan: Sudan Refugee Crisis - Aid Agencies Face Huge Challenges As Hundreds of Thousands Flee Violence
Sudan stands on the brink of yet another civil war sparked by a confrontation between two generals: the head of Sudan's Armed Forces, General Abdelfatah El-Burhan, and the head of… Read more »
May 10, 2023
Sudan: Sudan's People Toppled a Dictator - Despite the War They're Still Working to Bring About Democratic Change
While Sudan's generals have unleashed indiscriminate destruction and occupation on wide swaths of the capital, Khartoum, neighbourhood resistance committees and pro-democracy… Read more »
May 09, 2023
Kenya: Kenya Cult Deaths - a New Era in the Battle Against Religious Extremism
More than a hundred people in Kenya - among them children - have been found dead close to a small village in the south-east of the country. It's believed that most of the deceased… Read more »