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...
Sexual violence on the rise despite a decline in attacks in war-traumatised South Sudan
A decrease in violence against civilians in South Sudan is offset by cases of conflict related sexual violence more than doubling, compared to the same period last year, according to the latest report on civilian casualties by the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS). From January to March 2022,...
Somali MPs get ready to elect new president on Sunday against backdrop of growing al Shabaab attacks
Somalia is set to hold its long-delayed presidential vote on Sunday, ending the convoluted electoral process that raised tensions in the country when the president’s term expired last year without a successor in place. Authorities have registered 39 presidential candidates, a list that includes incumbent Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, two former...
Ties that bind us: After Russia attacked Ukraine, weak links in finance and supply chains were easily weaponised
When Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, nobody expected that the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Japan, Canada and other nations would isolate Russia from the global economy in retaliation. Instead of limited and largely symbolic sanctions, which were all Russia faced when it annexed Crimea and...
Burkina Faso putschists come under stinging criticism for failing to reverse insecurity and violent extremism
Three months after the putsch in Burkina Faso, the junta that pushed President Roch Marc Christian Kaboré out of power is coming under searing criticism for failing to reverse growing insecurity and incidents of violence that have become a daily occurrence. Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED) figures...
UN experts worry South Sudan is on brink of civil war after peace accord became ‘lucrative venue for elite power politics’
Many political leaders and civilians in South Sudan are “deeply sceptical” a 2018 peace agreement can deliver stability to the world’s newest nation and worry it may be heading back into conflict, UN experts said in a report circulated Monday. The experts pointed to political disputes between former rivals now...
Military budgets shoot up as Kenya, Uganda and Angola top Africa against backdrop of terrorism, extremism
Total world military expenditure increased fractionally in 2021 to reach $2,113 billion, surpassing the $2 trillion mark for the first time, new research by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) has revealed. Military spending also increased in Africa. SIPRI on April 25 said 2021 saw the seventh consecutive year...
Public fetes for Uganda President Museveni’s son send clearest signal he’s preparing to succeed his father
Public fetes celebrating the son of Uganda’s leader are raising concern that he is aiming for the presidency after years of apparently being groomed to succeed his father, President Yoweri Museveni, who has held power since 1986. Three events marking Lt-Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba’s 48th birthday have been held in recent...
Organised crime: New report says West Africa now a major corridor for cocaine from South America to Europe
Cabo Verdean police intercepted a boat in early April suspected to be involved in international drug trafficking. The Brazilian boat contained more than 5 tons of cocaine. The operation, which included help from the United States Drug Enforcement Agency, US Navy, Brazilian Federal Police and the National Crime Agency of...
Resentment of Chinese citizens in Africa peaking as incidents of human rights abuses rise
An irate Chinese boss is screaming at his African workers as they take a lunch break, urging them to work harder or else the company would not make any money. While intended to be funny, the new Egyptian TV commercial – since pulled down for fear of offending Beijing –...
