January 17
Congo-Kinshasa: DR Congo's Election - the Key to Félix Tshisekedi's Victory
On Sunday 31 December 2023, the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) announced the preliminary results of the Democratic Republic of Congo's presidential election held… Read more »
January 03
South Africa: South Africa to Lead New Military Force in the DRC - an Expert On What It's Up Against
The United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Monusco, is ending after 20 years. It will be replaced by troops from the Southern African… Read more »
December 11, 2023
East Africa: East Africa's Troops Are Leaving the DRC - What Went Wrong and What Comes Next
The East African Community deployed a regional force for the first time into eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in 2022. Just over a year later, the troops have started… Read more »
December 06, 2023
Congo-Kinshasa: DRC Elections - Three Factors That Have Shaped Tshisekedi's Bumpy First Term As President
Africa's second-largest country by land mass, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), is scheduled to go to the polls on 20 December 2023. President Felix Tshisekedi will be… Read more »
November 27, 2023
Mozambique: Rwanda's Troops in Mozambique Have Done Well to Protect Civilians - The Factors At Play
Rwanda's involvement in peacekeeping operations for the United Nations (UN) and African Union (AU) has increased since 2004. Read more »
November 24, 2023
Southern Africa: Southern African Troops Versus M23 Rebels in the DRC - 4 Risks This Poses
The security situation in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) continues to deteriorate. The region comprises North Kivu, South Kivu and Ituri provinces.… Read more »
Rwanda: UK's Failed Asylum Deportation Plan Puts Rwanda's Human Rights and Refugee Struggles in the Spotlight
The UK Supreme Court ruled on 15 November 2023 that sending asylum seekers to Rwanda was unlawful. The plan would have seen tens of thousands of asylum seekers sent from the UK to… Read more »
November 17, 2023
Congo-Kinshasa: Henri Lopes, the Prime Minister of Congo Who Became a Famous Novelist
"On the other bank ... that is where Henri Lopes now rests," wrote novelist and journalist Nicolas Michel in a beautiful tribute to mark the passing of the celebrated Congolese… Read more »
November 15, 2023
Rwanda: Supreme Court Rules Rwanda Plan Unlawful - a Legal Expert Explains the Judgment, and What Happens Next
The UK supreme court has unanimously ruled that the government's plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda is unlawful. Read more »
November 14, 2023
Congo-Kinshasa: DRC Elections - the Kabila Family Legacy Looms Large Over the Country's Polls
The Democratic Republic of Congo is expected to hold elections on 20 December 2023. The country's electoral commission has announced President Felix Tshisekedi will be seeking… Read more »
November 10, 2023
Africa: Visa-Free Travel for Africans - Why Kenya and Rwanda Have Taken a Step in the Right Direction
President William Ruto of Kenya recently announced that Kenya's borders would be open to visitors from the entirety of Africa, with no visas required, by the end of 2023. He said Read more »
October 27, 2023
Chad: First Dengue Fever Outbreak - What You Should Know
Chad has reported its first dengue outbreak, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The country's health ministry declared an outbreak on 15 August and so far 1,342… Read more »
October 19, 2023
Namibia: Namibia and Angola's Remote Ovahimba Mountains Reveal a Haven for Unique Plants - New Survey
The Kaokoveld region, covering north-western Namibia and south-western Angola, is one of the remotest areas in southern Africa. Although it's extremely dry, it is a centre of… Read more »
September 12, 2023
West Africa: U.S. Response to Gabon and Niger Coups Suggests Need for a New West Africa Policy in Washington
Recent coups in the West African nations of Gabon and Niger caught U.S. diplomats a little off guard. They also indicate Washington may need to reassess its policy in the region or… Read more »
September 05, 2023
Gabon: Coup Has Been Years in the Making - Three Key Factors That Ended the Bongo Dynasty
The recent military intervention that put an end to the Bongo family's 56-year hold on power in Gabon has been many years in the making. Read more »
September 04, 2023
Central African Republic: Wagner, Conflict and Poverty Drive Death Rate Above Crisis Levels - but Where's the Aid?
The Central African Republic (CAR) is one of the poorest countries in the world. Its GDP per capita in 2022 was estimated at US$491 per year. Read more »
September 01, 2023
Gabon: Coup in Gabon - Ali Bongo the Eighth West African Leader to Be Ousted By Military in Two Years
Gabon's prime minister, Ali Bongo, has become the latest in a string of African leaders to be ousted by a military coup in recent years. Bongo, who had just won a third term in… Read more »
Gabon: Gabon Coup - Bongo's Rule Ended By Failed Promises and Shifting Alliances
The Bongo family's 56 year hold on power in Gabon was abruptly brought to an end with a military coup on 30 August. The military takeover happened hours after election results were… Read more »
August 28, 2023
Congo-Kinshasa: DRC - Rising Twirwaneho Rebel Group Highlights the Unending Volatility of the Country's East
The three-decade conflict in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has led to the proliferation of hundreds of armed groups. With the violence appearing to… Read more »
August 17, 2023
Gabon: Gabon Elections - How the Bongo Family's 56-Year Rule Has Hurt the Country and Divided the Opposition
Gabon's president Ali Bongo Ondimba (2009-present) recently announced his intention to stand for re-election in the country's presidential poll scheduled for 26 August. He is, to… Read more »
July 30, 2023
Cameroon: What Citizens Say About Ending Six Years of Anglophone Conflict
The armed conflict in Cameroon between separatist groups and the military is in its sixth year. Armed groups are fighting for secession of the English-speaking north-west and… Read more »
July 11, 2023
Angola: Painted Messages in Angola's Abandoned Liberation Army Camps Offer a Rare Historical Record
In Angola's Malanje province, the buildings of Camalundu stand abandoned amid open fields. On one of them, the fragmented words "IAN NGOYI" recall a figure little-known in Angola… Read more »
Congo-Kinshasa: DRC Has One of the Fastest Growing Populations in the World - Why This Isn't Good News
The demographic profile of a country matters because it sets its development pace - it creates opportunities and presents risks. For many developing countries, the challenge is to… Read more »
July 10, 2023
Congo-Kinshasa: DRC Violence Has Many Causes - the UN's Narrow Focus On Ethnicity Won't Help End Conflict
The UN Group of Experts on the Democratic Republic of Congo's 2023 mid-term report reduces the very complex causes of violence in the eastern part of the country to inter-communal… Read more »
July 04, 2023
Cameroon: The Fascinating Cameroonian Art of Spider Divination Is On Display At London Exhibition
Tomás Saraceno In Collaboration: Web(s) of Life, which opened at London's Serpentine South Gallery in June, explores how humans relate to spiders. It features installations… Read more »