June 25
Africa: The Politics of 'Terrorism' As a Designation in Eastern DR Congo
Words matter in conflict, and few carry more consequences than 'terrorist'. Overused for decades, applied to insurgents, separatists, and state enemies alike, the label has been… Read more »
Africa: XI's Zero Tariff Offer to Africa and the Political Boundaries of Eswatini's Exclusion
China's tariff announcement and the African response Read more »
June 24
Congo-Kinshasa: Ebola in Congo Is Also a Crisis of Trust, Not Just a Health Emergency
During the 2018-2020 Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), attacks on treatment centres, resistance to contact tracing, and widespread distrust of… Read more »
Africa: Somalia - a State Without Settlement
In early June, a warm evening in Mogadishu was punctuated once again by the staccato of gunfire and mortar shells. Not the result of an ambush by Al-Shabaab or a quarrel over a… Read more »
Somalia: Somalia - the Disappeared
On the evening of 26 June 2021, a woman named Ikran Tahlil Farah left her home in Mogadishu after receiving a call from a number she did not recognize. She got into a car. Her… Read more »
Somalia: Somalia in the Crosshairs - the Consequences of the Iran War On Somalia
The US-Israel war on Iran has had global ramifications in the cost of daily life and geopolitical calculations. Because of geographical proximity, political instability, and… Read more »
Benin: Benin's New President Seeks New Outreach to Togo and Niger
On May 24, 2026, former Beninese finance minister under the outgoing president Patrice Talon, Romuald Wadagni, was sworn into office as the President of Benin. His election was… Read more »
June 23
Africa: The $2.68 Million Fence Vs. the Forest's People
On February 27, 2026, the Keiyo Indigenous Community filed a formal grievance with the United Nations Development Programme's Social and Environmental Compliance Unit, alleging… Read more »
June 19
Africa: The Man Who Refused to Be Silenced
The first time my father was taken to prison, I was a toddler and did not know what prison was. When I asked where he had gone, my mother told me he had to go rest in a resort for… Read more »
Sudan: Sovereignty Without Control - Sudan, Gold and the Limits of International Law
In 2024, as Sudan reeled from one of the world's worst humanitarian crises, UAE imports of its gold jumped by 70%. Millions had been displaced, tens of thousands killed, yet the… Read more »
June 18
Africa: What Al-Shabaab Understands About Somali Authority
In south-central Somalia, a trader knows what to expect at an al-Shabaab checkpoint. The rate is fixed, set out in a published schedule. The receipt allows passage through the next… Read more »
Niger: The Politics of Jobless Growth Under Tinubu
On 29 May 2023, moments after taking the oath of office, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu declared: "Fuel subsidy is gone." The announcement marked the beginning of one of the most… Read more »
Africa: Africa and Eurasia Are Working in Partnership - the World Just Hasn't Noticed
In 2022, Egypt joined as a partner to the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), a political, economic, and security organisation of Eurasian states. As Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan,… Read more »
Africa: Why Franck Zanu Is Wrong About Africa
"Well, the effort is useless because no black country would ever develop... Black countries meaning the 54 that is on the continent, the 13 black countries in the Caribbean, the… Read more »
June 17
Africa: The CFA Franc Is Not a Currency. It Is a Constitutional Constraint
The debate about the CFA franc keeps happening on the wrong terrain. Read more »
June 16
Sudan: Why the RSF's Rapid Takeover Strategy in Sudan Failed
From the beginning of Sudan's war, the strategy pursued by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and its supporting network relied on one central assumption: that the Sudanese military… Read more »
Kenya: The Algorithm Will See You Now - Deepfake Doctors and the Commodification of Care in Kenya
A few months ago, I was scrolling through TikTok when I came across a video. In a brightly lit room with brown décor, a doctor in a checkered shirt was discussing PCOS, a… Read more »
Kenya: Beyond the Headlines, Does Kenya Have the Political Will to End Femicides?
On June 1st, as Kenya marked Madaraka (self-governance) Day, a different kind of freedom match took place on the streets of Nairobi. Women's rights organizations, civil society… Read more »
Congo-Brazzaville: Sovereignty or Staging - the Paris-Brazzaville Face-Off in the Mirror of Reality
The geopolitical landscape of central Africa is currently navigating a zone of severe diplomatic turbulence, driven by an acute crisis of accountability between Paris, Brazzaville,… Read more »
June 15
Africa: Mali. the Missing Structural Factor
On 25 April 2026, Mali faced its most severe test in fourteen years. Coordinated JNIM and FLA attacks struck seven major population centres including Kati, Mopti, Gao, and Kidal,… Read more »
June 11
Liberia: Migration - Why This Policy Field Is Emerging As a Priority in Liberia
All across West Africa, migration policy-making has become a top priority. Not least related to the externalisation pressures of the European Union (EU) and its members',… Read more »
Nigeria: What Lagos Planned for Precious Seeds
In December 2025, Lagos State bulldozers tore down Precious Seeds, a waterfront settlement in Oworonshoki. Esther Udoh had been driven out of the same site once before, by a fire… Read more »
June 10
Africa: Washington Is Treating Africa As a Target, Not a Partner - and Africa Knows It
Frank Garcia has just been confirmed as Washington's top Africa diplomat. His appointment tells African governments everything they need to know about how little they matter to… Read more »
Africa: African Security and a Financial Architecture in Retreat
African security is conventionally analysed in terms of armed groups, peacekeeping, and counterterrorism. However, what increasingly shapes the political order African states can… Read more »
June 08
Uganda: The Signs We Refuse to See - Why Uganda's Sovereignty Act Cannot Cure Our National Despair
The passage and lightning-fast presidential signing of the Protection of Sovereignty Act, 2026 represents a defining crossroads in our nation's governance. Tabled by State Minister… Read more »
