Congo-Kinshasa: Military Spending in DRC and South Sudan Rose Fastest in the World - Society Ends Up Paying the Price

Global military expenditure is dominated by the United States and China, with 49% of total spending between them. According to the most recent report by the Stockholm International… Read more »

Kenya: Economist Maps Out Ruto's Limited Options

Kenya's President William Ruto fired all but one cabinet minister in his second shock decision following deadly protests triggered by tax increases. The first was the withdrawal of… Read more »

Africa: DRC Conflict Risks Spreading - African Leaders Must Push for Solutions Beyond Military Intervention

In response to the deepening crisis in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the United Nations Security Council established a panel of independent experts in 2023 to examine… Read more »

Sudan: How Militia Groups Capture States and Ruin Countries - the Case of Sudan's Rapid Support Forces

The rise of Sudan's most notorious paramilitary group, the Rapid Support Forces, shows how armed groups can infiltrate state institutions - often with disastrous results for… Read more »

Sudan: Sudan Is Now Confronting Its Most Severe Food Security Crisis On Record

After 14 months of escalating internal conflict, Sudan is now confronting its most severe food security crisis on record. The latest situation report, released on 27 June, reveals… Read more »

Nigeria: Boko Haram and Western Education - the Surprising Views of Some Nigerians Who Left the Insurgency Group

The world has come to associate the insurgency in north-east Nigeria with the slogan "western education is forbidden". This is how "Boko Haram" - the name given to the insurgents -… Read more »

Rwanda: Rwanda's Military Support to Other Countries Is Part of a Strategy to Boost Its Reputation

Rwanda is one of Africa's geographically smallest countries. However, its foreign policy, whose hallmark is military diplomacy, has attracted international attention. Read more »

Somalia: Somalia Army Vs Al-Shabaab - As African Union Troops Leave, Which Is the Stronger Military Force?

The African Union (AU) has gradually reduced its troop numbers in Somalia since late 2017, from a peak of over 22,000 to about 14,000 today. Another 4,000 AU peacekeepers are… Read more »

Sudan: Sudan Food Emergency - Local Researcher Unpacks Scale of the Disaster and What Action Is Needed

The UN recently warned of the risk of famine in Sudan. The war between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces has killed civilians and devastated livelihoods on a… Read more »

Africa: Displaced By Violent Conflict - the World's Most Neglected Crises Are in Africa - Six Essential Reads

The Norwegian Refugee Council recently released a report highlighting the 10 most neglected displacement crises in the world in 2023. Nine of the 10 countries are in Africa - the… Read more »

Sudan: As War Rages in Sudan, Community Resistance Groups Sustain Life

In this episode of Don't Call Me Resilient, Nisrin Elamin, Assistant Professor of Anthropology and African Studies at the University of Toronto, paints a grim picture of life in… Read more »

Sudan: Iran's Intervention in Sudan's Civil War Advances Its Geopolitical Goals - but Not Without Risks

Iran's role in funding and arming proxy groups in the Middle East has been well documented and has gotten extra attention since the Hamas-led attack in Israel in October 2023.… Read more »

Rwanda: Rwanda's Role in Eastern DRC Conflict - Why International Law Is Failing to End the Fighting

The power of international law lies in its potential to offer alternatives to force and violence. The ideal is that states submit their grievances to a court rather than duke them… Read more »

Sudan: Sudan's Descent Into Chaos Sets Stage for Al-Qaida to Make a Return to Historic Stronghold

"Sudan's moment has come; chaos is our chance to sow the seeds of jihad," warned Abu Hudhaifa al-Sudani, a high-ranking al-Qaida leader, in an October 2022 manifesto. Read more »

Sudan: Sudan's Civil War Is Rooted in Its Historical Favouritism of Arab and Islamic Identity

The current civil war in Sudan goes beyond a simple power struggle between two generals. It reflects a deep-rooted crisis within the country's governing structure that's been… Read more »

Sudan: Civil War Stretches Into a Second Year With No End in Sight

In the early hours of April 15 2023, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) - a Sudanese paramilitary force - attacked the military airstrip in the town of Merowe and deployed troops… Read more »

Rwanda: Rwanda's Genocide Could Have Been Prevented - 3 Things the International Community Should Have Done - Expert

As the world marks the 30th anniversary of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi ethnic group in Rwanda, it is important to understand what the international community could have… Read more »

Rwanda: Rwandan Genocide, 30 Years On - Omitting Women's Memories Encourages Incomplete Understanding of Violence

The eruption of violence that Rwanda experienced beginning on the evening of April 6, 1994, continues to haunt the central African nation 30 years on - it has also changed the… Read more »

Rwanda: 30 Years After Genocide - Rwanda's Older Generations Fear a Return of Ethnic Tensions, but Youth Feel More United

It's 30 years since a genocide ripped through Rwandan society, leaving up to a million Tutsi and non-extremist Hutu dead. Read more »

Mozambique: Jihadism in Mozambique - Southern African Forces Are Leaving With Mixed Results

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) military mission in Mozambique (Samim), which was deployed on 15 July 2021 to fight the Islamic insurgents terrorising the… Read more »

Nigeria: Nigerian Bandits Strategically Target School Children for Kidnappings - Here's Why

It is every parent's worst nightmare: armed criminals attacking their child's school, kidnapping students and teachers. Read more »

Kenya: Kenya's Greylisting for Weak Action On Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing

Kenya and Namibia are the latest African countries to be placed on the Financial Action Task Force's grey list over their weak measures against money laundering and terrorism… Read more »

Nigeria: Hundreds of Nigerian Children Are Being Kidnapped - the Govt Must Change Its Security Strategy

School abductions have been a trend in Nigeria. The latest took place in Kaduna and Sokoto states, both in the north-west region, when over 300 children were abducted at different… Read more »

Niger: Niger Has Cut Military Ties With the U.S. - Why This Is Bad for the Sahel's Security

Niger - a landlocked country of 25 million people in one of the most unstable parts of the world - recently announced it was suspending military cooperation with the United States. Read more »

Nigeria: Nigeria's Fuel Subsidy Removal Was Too Sudden - Why a Gradual Approach Would Have Been Better

Nigeria removed fuel subsidies entirely in May 2023. This came as a surprise because of the political risks associated with subsidy removal. Previous administrations were reluctant… Read more »