ISS, Institute for Security Studies
Vote-based decisions could sharpen the Peace and Security Council
22nd February 2024 Chief among the many conflict situations discussed by the African Union Peace and Security Council (AU PSC) in 2023 were the coups in Niger and... →
Gold and governance provide hope for Kenya’s artisanal miners
20th February 2024 Nestled in the vast semi-arid savanna of Dabel in northern Kenya, near the border with Ethiopia, lies the makeshift shanty mining town of Illo. The... →
South Africa is falling behind in Africa’s new ‘gold rush’
20th February 2024 South Africa was once Africa’s undisputed mining champion. It built its major economy on gold and diamonds, particularly in the 20th century. But... →
Senegal: breaking the election deadlock
16th February 2024 Opposition members from the Yewwi Askanwi parliamentary group have successfully challenged President Macky Sall’s attempt to delay the country’s... →
Only SA’s Parliament can authorise new armed police bodies
15th February 2024 Two recent South African law enforcement initiatives, one in Cape Town, and the other in Gauteng, have provoked interest and in some cases,... →
Failure to apply East Africa’s Mifugo Protocol keeps violence simmering
15th February 2024 At least 20-million people live in the Karamoja Cluster where Kenya, Uganda, South Sudan and Ethiopia meet. The area is home to about 14... →
ICJ’s Gaza genocide case – big win, but with what effect?
13th February 2024 On 26 January, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ordered provisional measures in South Africa’s case against Israel on allegations of... →
Impact of Red Sea crisis on Africa – red flag or red herring?
12th February 2024 Still reeling from the effects of COVID-19 and the Ukraine war, African countries face yet another geopolitical hurdle with the Red Sea crisis and... →
Once more into the breach: SADC troops in DRC
9th February 2024 The long-simmering conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is starting to boil over again. On 2 February, a South African... →
Proposed ECOWAS exits leave West Africa at a crossroads
8th February 2024 On 8 February, the Mediation and Security Council of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) will hold a special session in Abuja.... →
Despite the hazards, Ghana’s illicit waste trade is booming
7th February 2024 Illicit waste trafficking generates around US$10-billion to US$12-billion worldwide every year, according to the Financial Action Task Force. Ghana... →
DRC misses another opportunity to build a democracy
7th February 2024 Following President Félix Tshisekedi’s contested victory in the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s (DRC) December 2023 elections, democracy hangs... →
Does Ethiopia’s transitional justice amount to quasi-compliance?
5th February 2024 Ethiopia’s post-2018 transitional justice process has been referred to as ‘quasi-compliance’ – aimed more at appeasing international demands for... →
Morocco outmanoeuvres SA at the UN Human Rights Council
5th February 2024 No one in South Africa was more delighted than International Relations and Cooperation Minister Naledi Pandor when the national soccer team Bafana... →
Africa’s oceans could pay dearly for the Red Sea Crisis
2nd February 2024 The Red Sea crisis has become a pressing concern largely due to its disruption of global trade. However, it also has far-reaching environmental... →
Does Africa’s Peace and Security Council need stronger members?
31st January 2024 At the upcoming African Union (AU) summit from 15-19 February, 10 new countries will take their seats on the Peace and Security Council (PSC) for... →
Northern Kenya’s disarmament dilemma
30th January 2024 Banditry and the proliferation of illegal small arms are critical drivers of insecurity in Kenya’s North Rift Region. Survey-derived baselines... →
Blinken’s Africa trip loops in new Atlantic Ocean partners
26th January 2024 United States (US) Secretary of State Antony Blinken has taken time off from his hectic shuttle diplomacy in the Middle East to visit four African... →
Looser gun laws could deepen Nigeria’s security crisis
26th January 2024 Despite Nigeria’s strict gun ownership laws, the country remains the region’s largest illicit small arms market, adding to the nation’s dire... →
South Africa’s ICJ case has already altered its foreign policy space
26th January 2024 South Africa’s decision to take Israel to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on charges of genocide has elicited polarised global responses.... →
Intelligence-led investigations can curb Ethiopia’s kidnappings
24th January 2024 Kidnapping and extortion are on the rise in Ethiopia, with cases even reported beyond the country’s borders. Ethiopian Electric Power announced in... →
Africa needs a stronger voice on resolving the Red Sea crisis
23rd January 2024 The Red Sea crisis is now a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) priority, with three meetings held this year already. Following several months... →
Election rigging claims spark turbulence in Comoros
19th January 2024 Africa’s 2024 election season – comprising 19 presidential and general polls – got off to an unpromising and alarming start this week. After... →
Flawed elections and poor governance underlie Africa’s backsliding
19th January 2024 How do we explain the developmental and governance reversals now haunting Africa? Reasons for the apparent collapse of security are complex, but... →
Can South Sudan meet its election deadline this time?
18th January 2024 In August 2022, South Sudan’s transitional government extended its term to February 2025, with elections planned for December 2024. The extension... →
Kenya and Ethiopia could show the way on migration governance
16th January 2024 Migration governance in Kenya and Ethiopia has significant implications for regional stability and human rights in the Horn of Africa and in each... →
After a glimmer of hope, Sudan’s peace effort fades
12th January 2024 With the world’s attention focused on wars in Israel, Gaza and Ukraine, the devastating civil war that erupted in Sudan in April 2023 has largely... →
African countries should not entertain taking forcibly displaced Palestinians
11th January 2024 In early January, media reports claimed Israel was in talks with ‘Congo’ about ‘voluntary migration plans’ for Palestinians from Gaza. The original... →
Scrap metal smuggling could cripple East Africa’s infrastructure
10th January 2024 On 11 January 2022, Nairobi was plunged into darkness after Kenya Power lost supply along the Kiambere-Embakasi high voltage transmission power... →
India eyes Africa in its quest for superpower status
9th January 2024 India is rapidly forging an important role in the new global order as a bridge between the global north and south. Leveraging its economic muscle... →
Foreign criminals go for gold in Nigeria
8th January 2024 Nigeria’s mining sector is diverse in mineral resources that make a significant contribution to the nation’s gross domestic product. The country is... →
Fairer global tax won’t be enough to cure Africa’s chronic capital deficit
8th January 2024 On 22 November 2023, a coalition of 125 mostly developing countries led by Nigeria won an important United Nations (UN) General Assembly vote on... →
Positive outlook for Morocco’s development prospects
8th January 2024 North Africa and the Sahel have generally been in the news for all the wrong reasons. Coups last year rocked Mali, Niger, Chad and Burkina Faso,... →
The African Union’s fight for relevance in 2024
8th January 2024 The African Union (AU) isn’t living up to expectations – and member states are partly to blame, according to AU Commission (AUC) Chairperson Moussa... →
Inconsistencies are costing the AU Mission in Somalia
18th December 2023 In September, a call was made for a technical pause to the African troop drawdown from Somalia, following the initial withdrawal of 2 000 troops in... →
Challenges loom before DRC voting day
18th December 2023 The Democratic Republic of the Congo’s (DRC) fourth election on 20 December will occur against a protracted conflict shaping the nation’s political... →
Nigeria’s military mistakes cost the country its civilians
13th December 2023 Last week’s accidental bombing of Tudun Biri in Kaduna State by the Nigerian Army’s drone unit is the country’s most devastating military mishap in... →
Ransom kidnappings challenge North Cameroon
12th December 2023 In just three years (2015–18), kidnappers in North Cameroon collected ransom money of around €3 million (CFAF 2 billion), according to Garoua... →
Ukraine’s ‘low return’ on its African investment
8th December 2023 Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba was being rather undemocratic – by his admission – when he told visiting African journalists last month... →
Africa must stand together to end Ethiopia's conflict
7th December 2023 Ethiopia's Amhara region has been the epicentre of political violence and armed conflict, with Fano ethnic militias clashing with the federal... →
Can Chad’s constitutional referendum still be saved?
7th December 2023 Following President Idriss Déby Itno’s death in May 2021, Chad entered a transition led by his son, General Mahamat Idriss Déby. The transition... →
