May 18, 2023
South Africa: The Plot to Save South Africa - Masterful Account of an Assassination That Nearly Derailed Efforts to End Apartheid
I was about to set off to the airport on the morning of 10 April 1993 to cover the great American boxer Muhammad Ali's arrival in Johannesburg when the news came through: Chris… 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 16, 2023
South Africa: Did South Africa Sell Arms to Russia? Only a Series of Unlikely Scenarios Could Have Made It Possible
On 11 May 2023 the US ambassador to South Africa, Reuben Brigety, claimed that South Africa had secretly exported arms to Russia in December 2022. The announcement rapidly fed into… Read more »
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 14, 2023
South Africa: Fear and Loathing in South Africa - Book Examines How Anxiety Plays Out in Everyday Life
Social scientists have shown how freedom in South Africa has lost its meaning for many in the country. Despondency about democracy is on the rise as the promise of prosperity under… Read more »
May 11, 2023
South Africa: South Africa Walks a Tightrope of International Alliances - It Needs Russia, China and the West
Relations between the People's Republic of China and Russia on one hand and the west, specifically the US, on the other have become increasingly tense in recent times. For the US,… Read more »
May 10, 2023
Namibia: Namibia and South Africa's Ruling Parties Share a Heroic History - but Their 2024 Electoral Prospects Look Weak
Namibian president Hage Geingob used his recent state visit to South Africa to also address a meeting of the national executive committee of the governing party, the African… Read more »
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 07, 2023
East Africa: Children's Book Revolution - How East African Women Took On Colonialism After Independence
As independence from British colonial rule swept across East Africa in the early 1960s and freedom was won in Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania, parents and teachers worried about what… Read more »
Ghana: Ghana's Regions - Why Creating New Territories Has Caused Problems
Ghana split four administrative regions between June 2017 and February 2019 to create six new ones. The process proceeded calmly in some regions, but was so contentious in others… Read more »
May 05, 2023
East Africa: Sudan Conflict Will Have a Ripple Effect in an Unstable Region - and Across the World
Sudan, Africa's third largest country by land mass, shares borders with seven countries in an unstable region. This means that Sudan's current conflict will have economic, social… Read more »
May 03, 2023
South Africa: 47% of South Africans Use Social Grants to Generate More Income - Study
South Africa has one of the world's most expansive social grant system: 47% of the population relies on a monthly grant. Of these, 18 million are permanent beneficiaries and about… Read more »
Nigeria: Nigeria's Elections Faced Five Serious Challenges - How to Fix Them Before the Next Polls
Nigerians will see their new president-elect, Bola Tinubu, sworn in late May. A number of court cases are still being pursued against the election outcomes from votes cast earlier… Read more »
Rwanda: Paul Kagame Could Be President of Rwanda Until 2035 - What's Behind His Staying Power
Rwanda's ruling party, the Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF), recently concluded its 16th congress. This also marked 35 years of its existence. The centre piece, however, was the… Read more »
April 27, 2023
Sudan: Questions About Wagner Group Involvement As Another African Country Falls Prey to Russian Mercenaries
After more than a week of intense fighting between Sudanese government troops and paramilitary forces in Khartoum, many western countries - including the US and UK - are evacuating… Read more »
April 28, 2023
Sudan: Plunge Into Chaos Has Geopolitical Implications Near and Far - Including for U.S. Strategic Goals
The sight of diplomats fleeing Sudan amid chaotic scenes reflects the gravity of the situation, but also the extent of international interest in the strife-torn nation. Read more »
April 26, 2023
South Africa: South Africans Are Fed Up With Their Prospects, and Their Democracy - Survey
The mood among South Africans has soured. The latest findings from the representative survey that's done every year by the country's Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) shows… Read more »
April 25, 2023
Sudan: Omar Al-Bashir Brutalised Sudan - How His 30-Year Legacy Is Playing Out Today
Since independence in 1956 the Sudanese have lived through 35 coups, attempted coups and coup plots - more than any other African country. When the 2019 uprising against long-time… Read more »
April 24, 2023
South Africa: South Africa Votes in 2024 - Could a Coalition Between Major Parties ANC and EFF Run the Country?
South Africa's 2024 national and provincial elections are regarded as a realistic opportunity for coalition governments to be formed in some provinces and also at the national… Read more »
April 20, 2023
Zimbabwe: Zimbabwe's Ruling Party Vilifies the Opposition As American Puppets. but The Party Itself Had Strong Ties to the U.S.
The Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (Zanu-PF), which has governed Zimbabwe since independence in 1980, is well known for denouncing the United States' role as a… Read more »
April 19, 2023
Sudan: Sudan Created a Paramilitary Force to Destroy Govt Threats - but It Became a Major Threat Itself
Sudan is in crisis. Fighting continues between Sudan's military leader, Abdelfattah Al-Burhan, and his deputy on Sudan's ruling council, General Mohamed Hamdan Dagolo, who commands… Read more »
April 18, 2023
Africa: Europe Outsourcing Asylum to African Countries Is a Terrible Idea - There Are Alternatives
For 40 years, western governments have entertained ideas of outsourcing asylum processing and refugee hosting to the global south. It is not a new idea. And neither are the… Read more »
Kenya: Kenya Should Decriminalise Homosexuality - 4 Compelling Reasons Why
Kenya has recently seen the increasing visibility of sexual and gender minorities. However, this has been met with a growing backlash. Read more »
April 17, 2023
Rwanda: Rusesabagina Vs Rwanda - How Kagame Wields Soft Power to Get His Way With the West
In politics, soft power is a persuasive approach to international relations. A leader can use soft power by exerting economic, cultural or reputational influence. Read more »
April 16, 2023
Kenya: From Advertising Blackmail to Physical Threats, Journalists Are Under Attack but Must Also Regain Public Trust
In recent months, Kenyan journalists have been harassed, intimidated and attacked by government officials, politicians and members of the public. George Ogola, a professor of media… Read more »