Politics – Views & Research – The Conversation

Row of women and men in blue uniforms, holding rifles upright

South Africa’s police serve the ANC insiders, not the people: here’s how it happened

Ivor Chipkin, University of Pretoria

Nelson Mandela was a hard man who played a hard game. What if he was in Ramaphosa’s shoes?

Jonny Steinberg, Yale University

Two men walking past the burned out shells of three vehicles with a destroyed building on either side of them

Sudan’s war is an economic disaster: here’s how bad it could get

Khalid Siddig, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)

Young people in school uniforms stand in a line outside a door

Lagos is young and diverse, so what shapes ethnic and religious prejudice among teens? Our study tried to find out

Leila Demarest, Leiden University and Arnim Langer, KU Leuven

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.

Muhammadu Buhari: Nigeria’s military leader turned democratic president leaves a mixed legacy

Kester Onor, Nigerian Institute of International Affairs

A man wearing a brimless hat and spectacles

A man wearing a brimless hat and spectacles

University graduates in Ghana must serve society for a year – study suggests it’s good for national unity

Arnim Langer, KU Leuven; Bart Meuleman, KU Leuven, and Lucas Leopold, KU Leuven

University graduates in Ghana must serve society for a year – study suggests it’s good for national unity

University graduates in Ghana must serve society for a year – study suggests it’s good for national unity

Nigeria’s Maroko eviction remembered: a brutal legacy lives on

Taibat Lawanson, University of Liverpool

A yellow bulldozer demolishes homes, with wood and iron lying all over the ground and people trying to salvage belongings

A yellow bulldozer demolishes homes, with wood and iron lying all over the ground and people trying to salvage belongings

Man in military uniform outside an armoured vehicle on a road

West Africa terror: why attacks on military bases are rising – and four ways to respond

Olayinka Ajala, Leeds Beckett University

Samora Machel’s vision for Mozambique didn’t survive: what has taken its place?

Luca Bussotti, Universidade Técnica de Moçambique (UDM)

A man in suit and tie, with his hand raised above his head. Behind him other men raise clenched fists.

A man in suit and tie, with his hand raised above his head. Behind him other men raise clenched fists.

Coups in west Africa have five things in common: knowing what they are is key to defending democracy

Salah Ben Hammou, Rice University

A large crowd of people outdoors

A large crowd of people outdoors

Ruth First and activist research: the legacy of a South African freedom fighter

Saleem Badat, University of the Free State and Vasu Reddy, University of the Free State

An elegant woman sits at a table and, with a challenging half smile, points a finger at an African woman in a headpiece sitting with her.

An elegant woman sits at a table and, with a challenging half smile, points a finger at an African woman in a headpiece sitting with her.

Ghana and India: Narendra Modi’s visit rekindles historical ties

Pius Siakwah, University of Ghana

Elderly man smiling

Elderly man smiling

DRC and Rwanda sign a US-brokered peace deal: what are the chances of its success?

Jonathan Beloff, King's College London

Three men and a woman standing behind a seated man who is speaking and holding up a photo of himself and two Africans, a man and a woman

Three men and a woman standing behind a seated man who is speaking and holding up a photo of himself and two Africans, a man and a woman

Sudan: foreign interests are deepening a devastating war – only regional diplomacy can stop them

John Mukum Mbaku, Weber State University

A group of men, women and children lying on the ground surrounded by bags and jerry cans.

A group of men, women and children lying on the ground surrounded by bags and jerry cans.

Soldiers standing on the back of a gun truck

China’s support for Mali’s military carries risks: researcher outlines what they are

Paa Kwesi Wolseley Prah, Dublin City University

Highways to hell: west Africa’s road networks are the preferred battleground for terror groups

Olivier Walther, University of Florida; Alexander John Thurston, University of Cincinnati , and Steven Radil, United States Air Force Academy

Vehicles parked on an unpaved roads, with soldiers in uniform in and around them

Vehicles parked on an unpaved roads, with soldiers in uniform in and around them

Kenya’s peacebuilding efforts hold valuable lessons for the rest of the world, but gaps remain

Leonor Oliveira Toscano, University of Oslo; Jana Krause, University of Oslo, and Marika Miner, University of Oslo

A group of people in a street where a structure is burning

A group of people in a street where a structure is burning

People mill around several small shanties made with metal sheets

Khartoum before the war: the public spaces that held the city together

Ibrahim Z. Bahreldin, University of Khartoum

Kenya’s brutal police have been exposed again – why the system fails people

Douglas Lucas Kivoi, The Kenya Institute for Public Policy Research and Analysis (KIPPRA)

Four men on their knees on a street holding a flag with black, white, red and green stripes with a cloud of smoke behind them

Four men on their knees on a street holding a flag with black, white, red and green stripes with a cloud of smoke behind them

Nigerian children don’t imagine women as political leaders: what shapes their view

Adebusola Okedele, Babcock University; Alice J. Kang, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and Jill S. Greenlee, Brandeis University

Girls wearing identical robes and headscarves, holding green and white flags

Girls wearing identical robes and headscarves, holding green and white flags

Togo’s citizens want to leave Ecowas – new survey suggests why

Koffi Améssou Adaba, Université de Lomé

Men and women moving around in an open market

Men and women moving around in an open market

Trump’s Afrikaners are South African opportunists, not refugees: what’s behind the US move

Roger Southall, University of the Witwatersrand

A group of adults and children standing in a large indoor space, with some balloons in the background. Some are holding small US flags.

A group of adults and children standing in a large indoor space, with some balloons in the background. Some are holding small US flags.

Is Sudan’s war the reason for South Sudan’s economic crisis? What’s really going on with oil revenue

Jan Pospisil, Coventry University

A large plume of black smoke rising, with a crane in the background

A large plume of black smoke rising, with a crane in the background

Funding terror: how west Africa’s deadly jihadists get the money they need to survive

Egodi Uchendu, University of Nigeria and Muhammed Sani Dangusau, Federal University Lokoja

A silhoutte image of a man next to a missile-firing gun that's on the ground

A silhoutte image of a man next to a missile-firing gun that's on the ground

Humanitarian aid depends on good data: what’s wrong with the way it’s collected

Vicki Squire, University of Warwick

A group of women and children

A group of women and children

Armed groups are invading Benin’s forest reserves. Why and what to do about it

Papa Sow, The Nordic Africa Institute

Men in military uniform, holding rifles

Men in military uniform, holding rifles

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In the news

A woman dragging a large sack as other women around her walk away with white sacks picked up from the dusty ground.

Terrorists use food as a weapon: how Boko Haram and Al-Shabaab exploit hunger

Simone Papale, University of Parma and Emanuele Castelli, University of Parma

Paul Biya has been Cameroon’s president for 40 years – and he might win office yet again

David E Kiwuwa, University of Nottingham

Paul Biya has been Cameroon’s president for 40 years – and he might win office yet again

Paul Biya has been Cameroon’s president for 40 years – and he might win office yet again

South Africans have low trust in their police. Here’s why

Benjamin Roberts, Human Sciences Research Council and Steven Gordon, Human Sciences Research Council

A policewoman wearing a cap and police bulletproof stands to attention along with fellow officers.

A policewoman wearing a cap and police bulletproof stands to attention along with fellow officers.

Zohran Mamdani’s last name reflects centuries of intercontinental trade, migration and cultural exchange

Iqbal Akhtar, Florida International University

A bearded young man takes selfies with a group of people.

A bearded young man takes selfies with a group of people.

Ethiopia’s Amhara people are being portrayed as the enemy: the dangerous history of ethnic politics

Yirga Gelaw Woldeyes, Curtin University

Three people walking up a rural road, carrying farm implements.

Three people walking up a rural road, carrying farm implements.

Peace + Security

Political assassinations, police violence and lack of press freedom: 3 barriers to peace in Mozambique

Corinna Jentzsch, Leiden University

A protester shows bullet casings allegedly fired by police during a protest in Maputo on

A protester shows bullet casings allegedly fired by police during a protest in Maputo on

Sudan’s war isn’t nearly over – armed civilian groups are rising

Mohamed Saad, Charles University

A man waving from the door of a vehicle as a crowd surrounds him near a petrol station with a red, white, black and green flag waving in the middle of the crowd

A man waving from the door of a vehicle as a crowd surrounds him near a petrol station with a red, white, black and green flag waving in the middle of the crowd

South Sudan on the brink of civil war: bold action from the international community is needed

Madhav Joshi, University of Notre Dame

A crowd of people cheering with their hands held up, with some holding up photographs and others phones

A crowd of people cheering with their hands held up, with some holding up photographs and others phones

Ethiopia’s civil war: what’s behind the Amhara rebellion?

Amanuel Tesfaye, University of Helsinki and Yared Debebe, University of Gondar

A group of people holding up their arms in tight fists, wearing T-shirts that say 'I am Fano'

A group of people holding up their arms in tight fists, wearing T-shirts that say 'I am Fano'

Elections + Governance

Cameroon’s Biya is Africa’s oldest president: assessing his 38 years in power

Julius A. Amin, University of Dayton

An old man wearing a dark suit, white shirt and dark tie sits behind a table adorned with flowers

An old man wearing a dark suit, white shirt and dark tie sits behind a table adorned with flowers

Tanzania is ruled with impunity – four key issues behind calls for constitutional reform

Aikande Clement Kwayu, Tumaini University Makumira

Two man holding up their right hands in a two-finger salute - there is a crowd of other men behind them.

Two man holding up their right hands in a two-finger salute - there is a crowd of other men behind them.

Gabon elections: why a landmark vote won’t bring real change

Douglas Yates, American Graduate School in Paris (AGS)

Man dancing on stage

Man dancing on stage

Salva Kiir: South Sudan’s president fought for independence, but then fuelled division, violence and corruption

Steven C. Roach, University of South Florida

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Human rights

A hand holding a barbed wire fence

Rich countries are paying poorer ones to manage their refugee crises: 3 reasons this is dangerous

Ali Bhagat, Simon Fraser University and Genevieve LeBaron, Simon Fraser University

South Africa hasn’t given individuals access to the African Court – this needs to be fixed

Frans Viljoen, University of Pretoria

South Africa hasn’t given individuals access to the African Court – this needs to be fixed

South Africa hasn’t given individuals access to the African Court – this needs to be fixed

LGBTQ+ rights: African Union watchdog goes back on its own word

Frans Viljoen, University of Pretoria

Back view of young African man wrapped in a rainbow flag.

Back view of young African man wrapped in a rainbow flag.

Violence against women is staggeringly high in South Africa – a different way of thinking about it is needed

Amanda Gouws, Stellenbosch University

Women raise their arms and shout slogans at a GBV summit.

Women raise their arms and shout slogans at a GBV summit.

Africa without borders could help the continent prosper – what’s getting in the way

Tinashe Sithole, University of Johannesburg

A man wearing Ghanaian traditional attire speaks at a podium.

A man wearing Ghanaian traditional attire speaks at a podium.

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