Politics – Views & Research – The Conversation

A smiling woman looks at numerous screens and emojis

African women have less access to the internet than men – solutions the G20 can champion

Tinuade Adekunbi Ojo, University of Johannesburg

Image of two armed people running

Namibia celebrates independence heroes, but glosses over a painful history

Henning Melber, University of Pretoria

Black and white photo of armed men in uniform standing over a group of people who are squatting on the ground with their arms held above their heads

Christians and the British empire: how a church NGO got entangled in colonial violence in Kenya

Poppy Cullen, Loughborough University

Grandparenting from a distance: what’s lost when families are separated, and how to bridge the gap

Sulette Ferreira, University of Johannesburg

Graphic illustration of a white-haired, bearded man with spectacles holding a baby in his lap

Graphic illustration of a white-haired, bearded man with spectacles holding a baby in his lap

African migration: 5 trends and what’s driving them

Kevin J.A. Thomas, Rice University

People wearing lifejackets crowded onto an inflatable boat

People wearing lifejackets crowded onto an inflatable boat

Boys in school uniform stand in a group. talking to each other

Young South Africans don’t bother with elections: would lowering the voting age make a difference?

Dirk Kotze, University of South Africa

A man holding a gun

Cameroon’s conflict is part of a bigger trend: negotiations are losing ground to military solutions

Jacqui Cho, University of Basel

Graphic illustration of map of Africa

South Africa has chosen a risky approach to global politics: 3 steps it must take to succeed

Adam Habib, SOAS, University of London and Imraan Valodia, University of the Witwatersrand

Western Sahara: why Algeria supports the Sahrawi’s right to govern themselves

Manel ismahane Rebbah, Universite Hassiba Benbouali de Chlef

Is Israel committing genocide in Gaza? International court will take years to decide, but states have a duty to act now

Magnus Killander, University of Pretoria

Women and children holding pots

Women and children holding pots

Ghana’s war on illegal mining has failed – we set out to find out why

Gordon Crawford, Coventry University and Gabriel Botchwey

People at an excavated hole in the ground with water at the bottom

People at an excavated hole in the ground with water at the bottom

Tanzania’s independence leader Julius Nyerere built a new army fit for African liberation: how he did it

Michelle Moyd, Michigan State University

A ceremonial parade of armed soldiers

A ceremonial parade of armed soldiers

Succès Masra: how Chad’s opposition firebrand came to be sentenced to 20 years in prison

Bourdjolbo Tchoudiba, Université Paris-Est Créteil Val de Marne (UPEC)

Succès Masra: how Chad’s opposition firebrand came to be sentenced to 20 years in prison

Succès Masra: how Chad’s opposition firebrand came to be sentenced to 20 years in prison

Old photo of sailing ships at harbour, with a mountain in the background and a cart in the foreground

South Africa’s earliest newspapers made money from slavery: book offers new evidence

Gawie Botma, Stellenbosch University

Kenya’s 1950 Kolloa massacre: Britain won’t own up to its colonial violence but communities need closure

Chloé Josse-Durand, Newcastle University

Men and women clapping and playing drums on a grassy patch of land with low buildings around them

Men and women clapping and playing drums on a grassy patch of land with low buildings around them

The international order is shifting: African countries have an opportunity to reshape global power relations

Carlos Lopes, University of Cape Town

A purple and blue hand holding the globe with Africa highlighted and lit up

A purple and blue hand holding the globe with Africa highlighted and lit up

South Sudan’s new chief justice has a chance to reform the judiciary – if he’s allowed to do his job

Mark Deng, The University of Melbourne

A courtroom scene with four men in the foreground and a seated judge facing the camera in the background

A courtroom scene with four men in the foreground and a seated judge facing the camera in the background

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

Drones, disinformation and guns-for-hire are reshaping conflict in Africa: new book tracks the trends

Alessandro Arduino, King's College London

Man wearing military fatigues is draped with a white, blue and red flag while a crowd behind him holds their hands up; there is an orange, white and green flag off to the side

Man wearing military fatigues is draped with a white, blue and red flag while a crowd behind him holds their hands up; there is an orange, white and green flag off to the side

Uganda’s land eviction crisis: do populist state measures actually fix problems?

Rose Nakayi, Makerere University and Jörg Wiegratz, University of Leeds

A man in a yellow shirt and wide-brim hat speaks into a microphone while pointing

A man in a yellow shirt and wide-brim hat speaks into a microphone while pointing

Men in helmets, bulletproof vests and dark uniforms, holding shields labelled Police, standing in line

Armed banditry is becoming a crisis in Nigeria: why fixing the police is key

Onyedikachi Madueke, University of Aberdeen

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

Ivor Chipkin, University of Pretoria

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

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

Modi’s visit to Ghana signals India’s broader Africa strategy. A researcher explains

Veda Vaidyanathan, Harvard Kennedy School

Two men seated in front of flags and a coat of arms

Two men seated in front of flags and a coat of arms

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

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

Philipp Kastner, The University of Western Australia

Young Nigerians learn about democracy at school: how it’s shaping future voters

Leila Demarest, Leiden University and Line Kuppens, University of Amsterdam

Marchers in green and white hold up the Nigerian flag.

Marchers in green and white hold up the Nigerian flag.

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

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

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

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

Khalid Siddig, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)

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

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

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

Jonny Steinberg, Yale University

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

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

Olayinka Ajala, Leeds Beckett University

Man in military uniform outside an armoured vehicle on a road

Man in military uniform outside an armoured vehicle on a road

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In the news

A large crowd of people outdoors

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

Salah Ben Hammou, Rice University

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

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

Paa Kwesi Wolseley Prah, Dublin City University

Soldiers standing on the back of a gun truck

Soldiers standing on the back of a gun truck

Africa’s minerals are being bartered for security: why it’s a bad idea

Hanri Mostert, University of Cape Town and Tracy-Lynn Field, University of the Witwatersrand

A pair of hands holding what look like small stones

A pair of hands holding what look like small stones

The imperialist past that started dam politics between Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia

Mahemud Tekuya, University of the Pacific

Cairo downtown panorama, view on the Nile and bridges, Egypt.

Cairo downtown panorama, view on the Nile and bridges, Egypt.

Peace + Security

Tunisia’s once-vibrant democracy is on its deathbed: but it can be saved

José Ignacio Hernández G., Harvard Kennedy School

Massed protesters wave Tunisian flags in a town square

Massed protesters wave Tunisian flags in a town square

Kenya police brutality – it will take more than laws and public anger to change behaviour

Oscar Gakuo Mwangi, Pwani University

Kenya police brutality – it will take more than laws and public anger to change behaviour

Kenya police brutality – it will take more than laws and public anger to change behaviour

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.

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

Elections + Governance

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

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

Two men stand on a platform waving canes to a crowd

Peace in Sudan depends on justice for the Darfur genocide

Mukesh Kapila, University of Manchester

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

A hand holding a barbed wire fence

A hand holding a barbed wire fence

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.

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