Letter from Zimbabwe: Political change in a country where the military is so embedded in the state is no easy matter

Letter from Zimbabwe: Political change in a country where the military is so embedded in the state is no easy matter

I went home to Zimbabwe in December 2021 after over a year as a senior aid worker in Afghanistan, a period of intense turmoil and uncertainty, probably one of the most challenging assignments of my career. Yet Zimbabwe, my country, is also stuck in a political and economic crisis, and...

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‘Selecting’ Somalia president: Gun prices soar in a country where your only protection is the number of weapons you own

‘Selecting’ Somalia president: Gun prices soar in a country where your only protection is the number of weapons you own

The price of an AK-47, the standard weapon of Somali militias, has soared on gun markets ahead of a fraught ballot this weekend, when lawmakers will select the country’s next president.  Parliamentarians from Somalia’s lower and upper houses will decide on May 15 from a list of 39 candidates that...

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