Politics – Views & Research – The Conversation

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

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

John Mukum Mbaku, Weber State University

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

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

Ibrahim Z. Bahreldin, University of Khartoum

People mill around several small shanties made with metal sheets

People mill around several small shanties made with metal sheets

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

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

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

Roger Southall, University of the Witwatersrand

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

Men in military uniform, holding rifles

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

Papa Sow, The Nordic Africa Institute

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

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

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

Iran and Ethiopia have a security deal – here’s why they signed it

Eric Lob, Florida International University

Soldiers standing in formation holding up two flags, one green, the other with red, yellow and red stripes

Soldiers standing in formation holding up two flags, one green, the other with red, yellow and red stripes

Lagos slum evictions don’t work: 6 ways city planners can actually help the poor

Oluwaseyi Omowunmi Popogbe, Crawford University

A man walks on a road between dilapidated buildings, with open drains and litter

A man walks on a road between dilapidated buildings, with open drains and litter

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

Somaliland’s 30-year quest for recognition: could US interests make the difference?

Aleksi Ylönen, United States International University

Armed men wearing face masks standing in formation, with one man at the front holding up a flag with green, white and red stripes and a black star in the middle

Armed men wearing face masks standing in formation, with one man at the front holding up a flag with green, white and red stripes and a black star in the middle

City police in South Africa’s capital have a bad image – how to fix it

Azwihangwisi Judith Mphidi, Tshwane University of Technology

Men in police uniform and riot gear

Men in police uniform and riot gear

Ghana’s citizens have a right to protest: what does the law say about restricting it?

Justice Tankebe, University of Cambridge

People on a street, holding up posters, facing a line of police in uniform

People on a street, holding up posters, facing a line of police in uniform

Rwanda’s genocide: why remembering needs to be free of politics – lessons from survivors

Samantha Lakin, UMass Boston

People seated in a darkened stadium holding up lit candles

People seated in a darkened stadium holding up lit candles

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In the news

A man in a white robe

Winning hearts and power: how Mali’s military regime gained popular support

Morten Bøås, Norwegian Institute of International Affairs and Viljar Haavik, Norwegian Institute of International Affairs

Who do Africans trust most? Surveys show it’s not the state (more likely the army)

Koffi Améssou Adaba, Université de Lomé

Group of over 40 people, most of them men in suits, standing in rows o n steps in front of a large banner depicting a map of Africa

Group of over 40 people, most of them men in suits, standing in rows o n steps in front of a large banner depicting a map of Africa

Western Sahara: the six-decade struggle to liberate Africa’s last colony

Meriem Naili, University of Exeter

Flag-waving protesters shout slogans

Flag-waving protesters shout slogans

South Africa’s coalition government is at risk of crumbling: why collapse would carry a heavy cost

Vinothan Naidoo, University of Cape Town and Brian Levy, Johns Hopkins University

A bald man in a suit and tie stands at a podium, gesturing as he speaks

A bald man in a suit and tie stands at a podium, gesturing as he speaks

Tanzania’s election laws make it hard to build political opposition – what needs to change

Aikande Clement Kwayu, Tumaini University Makumira

A group of women smiling and cheering while holding up a purple flag that says ACT Wazalendo

A group of women smiling and cheering while holding up a purple flag that says ACT Wazalendo

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

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

Who is Tundu Lissu? Tanzania’s opposition leader is fighting for change in the face of fresh attacks on political freedoms

Nicodemus Minde, United States International University

A man wearing a black cap and shirt holds up two fingers in a salute

A man wearing a black cap and shirt holds up two fingers in a salute

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Human rights

Children playing football in a field

The rights of refugees in Africa are under threat: what can be done

Parvati Nair, Queen Mary University of London

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.

Successes of African Human Rights Court undermined by resistance from states

Lilian Chenwi, University of the Witwatersrand

Successes of African Human Rights Court undermined by resistance from states

Successes of African Human Rights Court undermined by resistance from states

African migrants can drive growth in their home countries – but three barriers stand in the way

Franzisca Zanker, Arnold Bergstraesser Institute and Amanda Bisong, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

A group of people pulling along their bags at the airport

A group of people pulling along their bags at the airport

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