February 16, 2023
Africa: Covid-19 Restrictions Unexpectedly Reduced Islamic State Violence - Political Science Experts Explain Why
World leaders and policy experts at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic feared that the health crisis might make the world more dangerous. They worried specifically that terrorist… Read more »
East Africa: Ilemi Triangle Spat - How Resources Fuel East Africa's Border Conflicts
For decades, African states have grappled with numerous interstate border disputes, especially in resource-rich regions. In east Africa, most of these conflicts are as old as… Read more »
February 09, 2023
Africa: Russia's Presence On the Continent Increasingly Relies On Mercenaries
Mercenaries have been a fixture in Africa since the second half of the 20th century. They have been used to protect incumbent leaders or install new ones in conflict zones. Read more »
South Africa: 500-Year-Old Horn Container Discovered in South Africa Sheds Light On Pre-Colonial Khoisan Medicines
In 2020, a chance discovery near the small South African hamlet of Misgund in the Eastern Cape unearthed an unusual parcel - a gift to science. The parcel turned out to be a… Read more »
February 01, 2023
South Africa: South Africa and Russia - President Cyril Ramaphosa's Foreign Policy Explained
January was a busy diplomatic month for South Africa. The country hosted Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov and US treasury secretary Janet Yellen. Josep Borrell,… Read more »
January 18, 2023
Somalia: Al-Shabaab Is Just a Symptom of Somalia's Tragedy - The Causes Are Still in Place
For at least 14 years now, the militant group Al-Shabaab has terrorised the southern region of Somalia. Its ambition is to impose a tyrannical dictatorship over the entire country… Read more »
January 17, 2023
Central Africa: 7 Million Internally Displaced People Live in Central Africa - They Need More Support
Central Africa is host to the largest community of internally displaced persons in Africa. The countries in this region include Cameroon, the Central African Republic (CAR), the… Read more »
January 08, 2023
Africa: Mad World - Global Flashpoints to Watch in 2023 in the Era of 'Polycrisis'
When 2022 began, there was trepidation about what might happen in at least ten regions. Topping most lists were concerns about tensions in Ukraine, Afghanistan and Ethiopia. Read more »
December 17, 2022
Africa: ICC Upholds Jail Term for Ugandan Rebel Commander Ongwen - Why It Matters for Africa
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has upheld its 25-year jail term against former Ugandan rebel commander Dominic Ongwen. In a decision delivered on 15 December, the ICC… Read more »
December 09, 2022
Congo-Kinshasa: East African Troops Hope to Bring Peace in the DRC but There May Be Stumbling Blocks
The East African Community decided to deploy troops in one of its member states for the first time in June 2022. The deployment in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) will… Read more »
December 06, 2022
Nigeria: Jihadists and Bandits Are Cooperating. Why This Is Bad News for Nigeria
The Nigerian state has come under severe security stress in recent times. It has faced multiple national security threats: jihadist groups in the north-east; armed bandits in the… Read more »
December 04, 2022
Nigeria: Violent Extremism Could Beckon in North-Western Nigeria If Local Dynamics Are Ignored
In January 2022, in a bid to stem a tide of violent attacks and kidnappings in north-western Nigeria, the government labelled the armed groups involved in the violence… Read more »
November 20, 2022
Somalia: Time for a New Strategy On Al-Shabaab
In October 2022, Somalia's capital Mogadishu suffered yet another massive suicidal attack. More than 100 people were killed. Hundreds more were wounded and thousands will have been… Read more »
November 15, 2022
Africa: Why It's Important to Understand the Unique Plight of Internally Displaced People in Africa
The African Union adopted an agreement more than 13 years ago to prevent the arbitrary displacement of people and to uphold the dignity of such victims. Read more »
November 10, 2022
South Africa: South Africa Provides Fertile Ground for Funders of Terrorism. Here's Why
The US embassy in South Africa has twice raised the alarm recently about terrorism in the country. On 26 October it issued a security alert for a possible terror attack in Sandton,… Read more »
November 09, 2022
Kenya: Kenya Violence - 5 Key Drivers of the Decades-Long Conflict in the North and What to Do About Them
Conflict and insecurity are prevalent in northern Kenya. In recent weeks, cases of bandit attacks in the region have left villages terrorised and led to several deaths. In October… Read more »
November 07, 2022
Africa: Armed Conflict and Climate Change - How These Two Threats Play Out in Africa
The world is falling miserably short of reducing carbon emissions in line with the Paris Agreement, a 2015 treaty to keep global warming well below 2℃. Read more »
November 02, 2022
Nigeria: Nigeria's Deadly Conflicts Over Water and Grazing Pasture Are Escalating - Here's Why
Violence in the Sahel is escalating, killing more than 11,000 people in Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso since 2012. Such conflict has emerged for a number of reasons, including… Read more »
Ethiopia: Ethiopia-Tigray Deal Signed - Expert Insights Into Two Years of Devastating Conflict
The main combatants in the two-year Ethiopia-Tigray war have announced a dramatic pause in hostilities. What started on November 3 2020 as a swift armed mission by Ethiopian prime… Read more »
October 28, 2022
Nigeria: Abuja Terror Alert - Nigerian Government Should Not Downplay the Threat
Terrorism is one of the world's greatest security challenges. Trying to predict it is an important part of the effort to counter terrorism. Read more »
October 27, 2022
East Africa: Droughts Don't Need to Result in Famine - Ethiopia and Somalia Show What Makes the Difference
The Horn of Africa is facing its worst drought in 40 years. Scientists suspect that a multi-year La Niña cycle has been amplified by climate change to prolong dry and hot… Read more »
October 18, 2022
Ethiopia: African Union Has Failed to Silence the Guns in Tigray
The African Union pledged in 2016 to "silence the guns" by the end of 2020, an ambitious agenda of ending armed conflicts on the continent. Just two months before that deadline,… Read more »
October 17, 2022
Nigeria: Chibok Kidnappings - Why It's Important To Listen To The Survivors Of Boko Haram Terrorism
In 2009 a once quiet local Salafi group called Boko Haram became increasingly violent in north-east Nigeria and border communities of Niger, Chad and Cameroon. Its quest to forbid… Read more »
October 16, 2022
Ethiopia: Tigray Has Resisted Ethiopia's Far Greater Military Might for Two Years - Here's Why Neither Side Is Giving in
The Ethio-Tigray war started on 4 November 2020. For almost two years, the governments of Ethiopia and Eritrea - along with Amhara regional forces and militia - have waged war… Read more »
October 13, 2022
Ethiopia: Tigray's Healthcare Workers Haven't Been Paid in Over a Year - and Bear the Brunt of the War
Tragic stories of suffering and death have emerged from Tigray since 2020, when civil war erupted between the central Ethiopian government and the regional Tigrayan government. Read more »