February 29
Tanzania: Serengeti Migration - Fire and Rain Affect How Zebras, Wildebeest and Gazelles Make the Journey
Tanzania's Serengeti ecosystem is like a time machine. As one of the world's last remaining fully intact grazing ecosystems it provides a glimpse of what others in Australia,… Read more »
February 28
Somalia: Why Turkey Is Helping Somalia Defend Its Waters
Somalia and Turkey recently announced that they would expand the terms of a defence agreement first signed on 8 February 2024 to include the maritime sector. This came as tensions… Read more »
February 27
Cameroon: Benefits of Using Cleaner Cooking Fuels Are Blunted in Urban Areas Where Outdoor Air Is Polluted
Household air pollution from cooking, heating and lighting with fuels like wood, charcoal and kerosene poses a substantial global health problem. Read more »
February 26
East Africa: Rare Megamouth Shark Found in East Africa for the First Time - Why So Little Is Known About It
A rarely seen megamouth shark (Megachasma pelagios) was recently spotted in east Africa for the very first time. It was recorded in a market in Zanzibar, where it was being sold… Read more »
February 21
Kenya: Antibiotic Use On Kenya's Dairy Farms Is Putting Consumers and Animals At Risk
Farmers often use antibiotics to keep their livestock healthy. They're sometimes used as "quick fixes", to avoid more costly management measures like regular disinfection, waste… Read more »
February 20
South Sudan: South Sudan - Some Spoilers Want Peace to Fail, Putting 2024 Elections At Risk
South Sudan is expected to hold its first general election in December 2024. It became an independent state in 2011. Read more »
Ethiopia: Ethiopia's Peace Pacts With the Oromo Liberation Front Have Failed - Here's What Was Missing
Two attempts have been made over the past six years to broker peace between the Ethiopian government and the armed rebel group Oromo Liberation Front. The armed group was formed… Read more »
February 19
East Africa: What Are Sabaki Languages? How People Formed Ethnic Groups Along the Coast of East Africa
A new book called Ethnicity, Identity and Conceptualizing Community in Indian Ocean East Africa tracks the history of the coastal communities of east Africa and how the Sabaki… Read more »
Sudan: Sudan Armed Forces Are On a Path to Self-Destruction - Risking State Collapse
It is now 10 months since the outbreak of civil war in Sudan in April 2023, pitting the Sudan Armed Forces against the Rapid Support Forces, a powerful paramilitary group. The war,… Read more »
February 18
Ethiopia: Oromia Makes Up a Third of Ethiopia's Landmass and Is Key to Its Fortunes - Expert Unpacks Its Significance
Ethiopia's largest and most populous region, Oromia, has been in the news following reports of a rise in kidnappings for ransom. The region is no stranger to war and strife. Its… Read more »
February 11
Kenya: Mungiki, Kenya's Violent Youth Gang, Serves Many Purposes - How Identity, Politics and Crime Keep It Alive
Kenya has scores of youth gangs known for their violence and links to the politically powerful. None is more infamous than the Mungiki movement, with a past membership estimated to… Read more »
February 13
Kenya: Kelvin Kiptum - the Kenyan Runner Who Redefined What It Takes to Win Marathons
Kenyan athletics has lost Kelvin Kiptum, the marathon world record holder who was destined to be the first person to run the race in under two hours. The runner, aged only 24, died… Read more »
Ethiopia: Donkeys Are Unsung Heroes in Ethiopia's Humanitarian Crisis - and They Could Do Even More With Better Support
Conflict and drought in the Tigray region of northern Ethiopia has triggered a humanitarian crisis. The Ethiopian government says 16 million people across the country are facing… Read more »
February 12
Kenya: Kenya's Sex Workers Have Solutions to Their Problems, but International NGOs Aren't Hearing Them
In Kenya, rights organisations run by sex workers have gone into numerous partnerships with international organisations over the past decade. In recent research, I set out to… Read more »
February 02
Rwanda: Even Many Critics of the Rwanda Deportation Policy Are Missing the Point of Why It's Wrong
The UK government's proposals to send asylum seekers arriving to the UK onto Rwanda continue to spark intense opposition. Read more »
February 08
Tanzania: Tanzania's Elections Are Vulnerable to State Abuse - Urgent Law Reforms Are Needed
Tanzania's electoral law reform is overdue for an overhaul. This was made most apparent by the 2019 local elections and the 2020 general elections. The results were big wins for… Read more »
February 07
Ethiopia: Somaliland-Ethiopia Port Deal - International Opposition Flags Complex Red Sea Politics
The memorandum of understanding between Ethiopia and Somaliland announced on 1 January 2024 set off diplomatic rows in the Horn of Africa - and beyond. Read more »
February 04
Madagascar: Giant Tortoises Have Returned 600 Years After Being Wiped Out
A six-year-old project to return giant tortoises to the wild in Madagascar could result in thousands of the 350kg megaherbivores re-populating the island for the first time in 600… Read more »
February 01
Ethiopia: Ethiopian Protest Music - the Songs of Hachalu Hundessa Reveal the Struggles of the Oromo People
The Oromo are the largest ethno-national group in Ethiopia, accounting for over 40 million people or more than one-third of the population. However, they have been politically… Read more »
January 31
Somalia: Houthi Militant Attacks in the Red Sea Raise Fears of Somali Piracy Resurgence
Renewed attacks on ships by suspected Somali pirates since November 2023 have fuelled fear of a new threat of piracy off the east coast of Africa. Read more »
January 30
Burundi: Burundi's Quota for Women in Politics Has Had Mixed Results, but That's No Reason to Scrap It
Since 2005, Burundi has set quotas to ensure that the country's three ethnic groups (Hutu, Tutsi and Twa), as well as women, are represented in its parliament, central government… Read more »
January 29
Kenya: Healthcare Workers Abuse a Third of Young Mums From Informal Settlements - Study
Adolescent pregnancy is a global public health concern: in 2022, about 13% of girls and young women gave birth before the age of 18. Read more »
January 25
Uganda: Cecilia Atim Ogwal - a Fearless Ugandan Politician Who Spoke Her Mind and Challenged Conventions
Cecilia Barbara Atim Ogwal, one of Uganda's longest-serving female legislators, passed away on 18 January 2024 at the age of 77. Read more »
Sudan: The African Union Is Working On Peace in Sudan - Expert Explains Why It's in Everyone's Interests
The African Union has recently named a team to work on a peaceful end to Sudan's civil war. The team will engage Sudan's feuding military factions alongside civil society and… Read more »
January 24
Somalia: Somaliland Has Been Pursuing Independence for 33 Years
Somaliland declared itself an independent state in 1991. It used colonial boundary lines to separate itself from Somalia. More than three decades later, however, it has yet to gain… Read more »