Politics – Views & Research – The Conversation

A man wearing a suit and scarf walking ahead of a crowd of people who include armed men

A man wearing a suit and scarf walking ahead of a crowd of people who include armed men

Zimbabwe’s push to extend the president’s rule could deepen elite divisions and weaken democracy

David B. Moore, University of Johannesburg

Bobi Wine’s decision to flee Uganda points to a shrinking landscape for opposition politics

Kristof Titeca, University of Antwerp

A man wearing a bulletproof vest standing from the sunroof of a vehicle and waving to a crowd of people, some of whom are waving flags.

A man wearing a bulletproof vest standing from the sunroof of a vehicle and waving to a crowd of people, some of whom are waving flags.

Brutal Mau Mau camps in Kenya were an extension of Britain’s colonial prison system – historian traces their roots

Ian Caistor-Parker, University of Warwick

Men huddled on the ground while two others stand towering over them.

Men huddled on the ground while two others stand towering over them.

A soldier standing in between armoured vehicles

A soldier standing in between armoured vehicles

US troops in Nigeria to help fight terrorism could end up making it worse – analyst

Saheed Babajide Owonikoko, Modibbo Adama University of Technology

People with red clothing and red flags, gathered in a crowd outdoors

People with red clothing and red flags, gathered in a crowd outdoors

Iran war could add to Nigeria’s security troubles. What to watch out for

Al Chukwuma Okoli, Federal University Lafia

A man in a suit and tie, seated at a microphone

A man in a suit and tie, seated at a microphone

Fink Haysom fought tirelessly for justice and reconciliation – in South Africa and on the global stage

Hugh Corder, University of Cape Town

The Lesotho Highlands Water project is 40 years old and going strong: but history weighs on its successes

John Aerni-Flessner, Michigan State University

Landscape of a large dam in a mountainous area

Landscape of a large dam in a mountainous area

Why the Chagos Islands deal is delayed – and Mauritius is threatening to sue the UK

Sue Farran, Newcastle University and Colin Murray, Newcastle University

View of Diego Garcia from space

View of Diego Garcia from space

A man standing at a podium and smiling while a woman claps behind him

A man standing at a podium and smiling while a woman claps behind him

Ethiopia’s national dialogue was meant to heal the nation, but divisions are deepening

Dereje Melese Liyew, Debre Markos University,

A coastline with a road containing cars and vast sand dunes on the other side of it.

A coastline with a road containing cars and vast sand dunes on the other side of it.

Namibia: the history of a country shaped from a rich and traumatic past

Henning Melber, University of Pretoria

A large ship surrounded by four smaller boats in the middle of a vast body of water with a mountain in the background.

A large ship surrounded by four smaller boats in the middle of a vast body of water with a mountain in the background.

Warships as diplomats: how the South African Navy is tasked with building ties with other nations

André Wessels, University of the Free State

Gulf attention is turning inward: why the Iran war could destabilise the Horn of Africa

Brendon J. Cannon, Khalifa University

A bombed out white car in front of a fenced area, with a black plume of smoke rising in the background and a handful of people wearing face masks walking in the area.

A bombed out white car in front of a fenced area, with a black plume of smoke rising in the background and a handful of people wearing face masks walking in the area.

Congo-Brazzaville election: Sassou Nguesso set to extend his rule

Ngodi Etanislas, Université Marien Ngouabi

Women in a street, wearing T-shirts bearing a man's face

Women in a street, wearing T-shirts bearing a man's face

Hunger crisis is set to get worse in west and central Africa – why and what to do about it

Oliver Kiptoo Kirui, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and Chibuzo Henrietta Nwagboso, CGIAR

View from above of pots and plates of food, and some hands

View from above of pots and plates of food, and some hands

Mau Mau: how Kenya’s history of colonial violence speaks through living bodies and graves

Rose Miyonga, University of Warwick

Grey statues of a man and woman holding a basket between them

Grey statues of a man and woman holding a basket between them

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In the news

Child holds a wooden gun

Child holds a wooden gun

I was a child soldier – here’s what it’ll take to protect young lives in conflict zones

Charles Wratto, Babes Bolyai University

Sudan’s rebel force has declared a parallel government: what this means for the war

Samir Ramzy, Helwan University

A man speaking at a podium loaded with microphones

A man speaking at a podium loaded with microphones

Violent conflicts are reshaping what Nigerian farmers grow: what this means for food security

Abeeb Babatunde Omotoso, North-West University and Abiodun Olusola Omotayo, University of Maryland Eastern Shore

A man and a boy in a field, carrying loads of plant material on their heads

A man and a boy in a field, carrying loads of plant material on their heads

Ethiopian women and safety: why some switch their ethnic identity when they start working

Monica Beeder, University of Southampton

A woman in a high-visibility jacket loading debris into a wheelbarrow at a construction site as other women help

A woman in a high-visibility jacket loading debris into a wheelbarrow at a construction site as other women help

Iran war fallout: risks for the Red Sea and the Horn of Africa

Federico Donelli, University of Trieste

Smoke billows in the background with several buildings in the foreground

Smoke billows in the background with several buildings in the foreground

Peace + Security

Africa’s militaries have always relied on imported weapons: why a shift to homegrown defence is now under way

Nate Allen, National Defense University and Joel Amegboh, National Defense University

People marching in uniform, a ship in the background

People marching in uniform, a ship in the background

4 things every peace agreement needs – and how the DRC-Rwanda deal measures up

Philipp Kastner, The University of Western Australia

Women and children carrying bags on their heads and in their hands with a yellow bus behind them.

Women and children carrying bags on their heads and in their hands with a yellow bus behind them.

South Africa declared gender-based violence a national disaster. But how will frontline workers be kept safe?

Lucé Pretorius, North-West University

A battered and torn South African flag flaps in the wind.

A battered and torn South African flag flaps in the wind.

Russian mercenaries have a bad reputation but some African regimes still employ them: study explores why

Ori Swed, Texas Tech University and Alessandro Arduino, King's College London

Men taking photographs in front of a statute

Men taking photographs in front of a statute

Elections + Governance

A man in suit and tie, wearing a cowboy hat, walking towards the camera

A man in suit and tie, wearing a cowboy hat, walking towards the camera

South Sudan has never had an election to hand over presidential power: so what are the rules of succession?

Jan Pospisil

Presidential term limits help protect democracy – long ones can be dangerous

Rosalind Dixon, UNSW Sydney and David Landau, Florida State University

A hand placing a piece of paper into a plastic container

A hand placing a piece of paper into a plastic container

Africa’s ageing leaders: succession race in Cameroon, Congo and Equatorial Guinea could destabilise the region

Serge Loungou, Université Omar Bongo (UOB)

Four men in dark suits, seated in front of a large banner

Four men in dark suits, seated in front of a large banner

South Africa’s biggest opposition party will head to municipal elections with new leaders: what does it all mean?

Dirk Kotze, University of South Africa

A man speaking at a podium

A man speaking at a podium

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Migration

Refugees entering refugee camp

Refugees entering refugee camp

EU ‘return hubs’: what are they, and how will they change the rights of migrants and asylum seekers?

María Teresa Gil Bazo, Universidad de Navarra

AI-driven border surveillance is spreading across west Africa. What this means for migrants’ rights

Philippa Osim Inyang, Nigerian Institute of International Affairs

Security cameras

Security cameras

250,000 Ethiopians migrate every year: what drives them and what needs to change

Girmachew Adugna, Addis Ababa University

A passport with a red cover and another document with an image of a tree

A passport with a red cover and another document with an image of a tree

The Mediterranean: Both a graveyard and a bottomless money pit due to EU border policies

Luna Vives, Université de Montréal

A white boat tows a larger blue boat.

A white boat tows a larger blue boat.

African migration: focusing on Europe misses the point – most people move within the continent

Nadine Biehler, German Institute for International and Security Affairs; Emma Landmesser, German Institute for International and Security Affairs, and Rebecca Majewski, German Institute for International and Security Affairs

A group of people walking on a paved road carrying bags on their backs and heads.

A group of people walking on a paved road carrying bags on their backs and heads.

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