Politics – Views & Research

Vehicles and pedestrians on a paved road in a town.

South Sudan at 15: how the political elite have found a way to profit from peace as well as war

Matthew Benson-Strohmayer, London School of Economics and Political Science

Serving a state that couldn’t pay: why South Sudan’s civil servants didn’t quit during the war

Emmanuelle Veuillet, University of Juba

A single storey building with red roofing, yellow walls

Tanzania has banned political rallies again: what the government fears

Dan Paget, University of Sussex

A small group of people waving flags and holding placards calling for a stop to state persecutions.

The international legal order is broken: 2 key shifts needed to fix it

Danny Bradlow, University of Pretoria

A woman holding up her hands in the peace sign while covering up half her face with a flag that has black, white, red and green stripes

The rhythms that broke Bashir: how Sudan’s music shaped a revolution

Cathy Wilcock, University of Manchester

A group of people outdoors, holding placards

Xenophobia in South Africa: state’s complicity with gangs and vigilantes is threatening its ability to govern

Loren B Landau, University of the Witwatersrand and Jean Pierre Misago, University of the Witwatersrand

Can an ancient Oromo philosophy help Ethiopia build peace? Why Namummaa matters

Bekalu Wachiso Gichamo, Wolkite University

Two women holding up flags with a fire symbol in the middle

Who was Andimba Toivo ya Toivo? The Namibian leader who chose justice over power

Heike Becker, University of the Western Cape

An elder African man sits talking, a hand on his bald head above a white beard and spectacles, dressed in a striking black and white patterned shirt.

Anti-foreigner violence in South Africa is easily sparked: what hasn’t been done to deal with it

Alan Hirsch, University of Cape Town

Nigerians tell their stories of banditry. ‘A month will not go by without someone being killed in this village.’

Oludayo Tade, University of Ibadan

Kenya wants to close refugee camps: the promise and risks of its ambitious new plan

Edwin Mutyenyoka, Arnold Bergstraesser Institute and Franzisca Zanker, Arnold Bergstraesser Institute

Men arranging packages on the ground in front of a white truck

Ma Vesta Smith: why this unsung activist matters 50 years after the Soweto uprising

Maria Suriano, University of the Witwatersrand

Two African women pose for a photo, heads touching, looking at the camera.

South Africa’s anti-migrant campaigns use the language of democracy: why that’s dangerous

Luke Sinwell, University of Johannesburg; Terri Maggott, University of Johannesburg, and Trevor Ngwane, University of Johannesburg

A group of men and women walking on a road while holding up placards written Operation Dudula and March and March

Sudan peace: the shadow of the al-Bashir regime looms over talks

Samir Ramzy, Helwan University

Two men wearing army fatigues and holding guns

Chad is making Arabic equal to French in schools: the politics behind the move

Helga Dickow, University of Freiburg

Man in white shirt and cap in front of microphones and a flag

Europe is spending billions on deporting migrants. Why the strategy isn’t working

Umutcan Yüksel, European University Institute and Amanda Bisong, European University Institute

Airport screen display with flights listed under the title Deportation Departures and the names of countries as destinations

Somali piracy is back – fuelled by political turmoil, aid cuts and the Iran war

Anja Shortland, King's College London and Federico Varese, University of Oxford

A group of the maritime policemen patrol Somalia's Puntland coast as a container ship sails by.

A man armed with a rifle stands outside a makeshift building

Ethiopia votes: dominant ruling party seeks a new mandate in a deeply fragmented nation

Redie Bereketeab, The Nordic Africa Institute

Ethiopia’s elections will not be politically competitive: two reasons why

Bizuneh Yimenu, Queen's University Belfast

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In the news

A man in yellow uniform showing two other workers dressed in pink uniform how to assemble a mobile phone

Maps showing China’s growing influence in Africa distort reality – but some risks are real

Brendon J. Cannon, Khalifa University

The Sahel region is less secure than ever: foreign forces just add to the cycle of violence

Nina Wilén, Lund University

Armed men in military uniform walk past a cyclist

South Africans are far less tolerant of migrants than before – hotspots, drivers and solutions

Steven Gordon, Human Sciences Research Council

Kenya’s forgotten Mau Mau freedom fighters and the impeached deputy president that stood up for them

Benson Kanyingi, University of Embu

Senegal’s ruling alliance has split: will political turmoil follow?

Toumani Traoré, Université Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar

Two African men shake hands, one dressed in black and one in grey.

Peace + Security

Kenya’s former President Daniel arap Moi mastered the art of silencing critics – why his tactics wouldn’t work today

Gabrielle Lynch, University of Warwick

A man holding up through the roof of a car with one hand holding up a thumbs up with a crowd of people int the background

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

Al Chukwuma Okoli, Federal University Lafia

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

Climate change is worsening violent extremism in Kenya – what can be done

Dylan O'Driscoll, Coventry University; Fathima Azmiya Badurdeen, Technical University of Mombasa; Joel Busher, Coventry University; Sheila Ronoh, Coventry University, and Wilson Ndenyele, Technical University of Mombasa

Woman seating on rocky, dry ground in a shallow hole surrounded by yellow jerry cans, while another woman stands nearby

Mozambique relies on Rwanda’s troops to fight terrorism: what happens if they leave?

Kaitlyn Rabe, The Ohio State University

An arm in the foreground of a man dressed in military fatigues with the map of Rwanda on the sleeve, and holding a gun

How history explains election violence: Kenya and Zambia tell the story

Johan Brosché, Uppsala University; Hanne Fjelde, Uppsala University, and Kristine Höglund, Uppsala University

Should Ethiopia limit how long its prime minister can serve? Why this won’t fix a deeper democracy problem

Alemayehu Fentaw Weldemariam, Indiana University

Two men smiling at the camera while holding a large blue book between them

Julius Malema: South Africa’s performative revolutionary is facing his biggest battle

Ongama Mtimka, Nelson Mandela University

Man in red shirt and cap with arm raised, speaking into a microphone

The challenges African election bodies face go beyond ‘democratic backsliding’ – analysis

Sonali Campion, University of East Anglia

A man wearing a Covid mask casts his vote.

Political violence in South Africa is driven by a power elite trying to establish dominance – new research

Ivor Chipkin, University of Pretoria and Jelena Vidojević, University of Pretoria

Group of people outdoors, some with arms raised, apparently singing or calling out

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Migration

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

The government’s plan to remove asylum seekers will be a logistical mess – and may not deter people from coming to the UK

Peter William Walsh, University of Oxford

A small rubber boat of young men in red lifejackets arrives at a dock in Dover

African migration: 5 trends and what’s driving them

Kevin J.A. Thomas, Rice University

People wearing lifejackets crowded onto an inflatable boat

Around the world, migrants are being deported at alarming rates – how did this become normalised?

Andonea Jon Dickson, University of Edinburgh; Cetta Mainwaring, University of Edinburgh, and Thom Tyerman, University of Edinburgh

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

Philippa Osim Inyang, Nigerian Institute of International Affairs

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