Analysis and commentary from diplomats, scholars and columnists.
On August 8, 2024, Kenya’s security agencies only managed to suppress the protests through the conversion of the nation to a police state. The Nairobi Metropolis was completely sealed off preventing any form of entry into the capital city. The cops inspected and ransacked all vehicles, including private ones with reports confirming targeting of young
BY AGNES GITAU Ethiopia is undergoing a profound economic transformation as a result of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s announcement of a comprehensive macroeconomic overhaul on July 28. This bold and eagerly awaited decision moves Ethiopia to an interest rate-based monetary policy and a market-based foreign exchange rate. This, according to officials, aims to reduce inflation
The path to the revolutionary protests witnessed in Kenya this year has been clear, was all along but we have a political class living in the far end of the galaxy in a place Elon Musk is yet to discover. Perfectly expected of them on the background of the ‘soft life’ they lead, the citizen
Politics qualifies as a highly exciting activity in any environment. I was 11 years old turning 12 when Kenya excitedly ushered in Mwai Kibaki in that globally award-winning optimism 2002 period. In 2007, I was now 16 headed to 17, as Kibaki injected all means to retain power. Again, Kenya’s political excitement was at fever-pitch,
BY NASONGO MULIRO At the climax of Kenyan President William Ruto’s state visit to the US, American President Joe Biden named Kenya as a “major non-NATO Ally” (MNNA), the first in sub-Saharan Africa. This status opens many opportunities. Other than ushering Kenya into the assembly of advantaged US allies such as Japan, Australia, South Korea
BY OLUMBA E. EZENWA and JOHN SUNDAY OJO Armed troops in Niger overthrew the government in July 2023, seizing power for themselves. The following months were rife with speculation that the military government would align with Moscow and possibly form ties with the Russian military or its associates. This has now become a reality, to the detriment of western
BY SWAN AVERY Floods in Kenya killed at least 169 people between March and April 2024. The most catastrophic of these deaths occurred after a flash flood swept through a rural village killing 42 people. Death and destruction have also occurred in the capital, Nairobi, a stark reminder of the persistent failure to keep abreast of the city’s
PRIESTLEY HABRU and CLAUDINA HABRU Former Foreign Minister Jeremiah Manele was elected the next prime minister of Solomon Islands, defeating opposition leader Matthew Wale in a vote in Parliament. The result is a mixed bag for former Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare’s Ownership, Unity and Responsibility (OUR) Party. The party won just 15 of 50 seats in last
Between February 21-22 I went to Rio in Brazil to attend the G20 Foreign Ministers meeting. The G20 framework is a critical one because it reunites the G7 countries, Russia, China and the main countries of the so-called “Global South”. We discussed the conflict in the Middle East and the war of aggression against Ukraine,
BY ANDRII PRAVEDNYK February 24, marked two years since the start of the Russian unprovoked and unjustified full-scale invasion of Ukraine. During the two years, the Moscow regime has continued its merciless, bloodthirsty terror by shelling Ukrainian cities, striking civilians and critical infrastructure, in particular energy infrastructure. Since the beginning of the Russian war against
BY AMB BITANGE NDEMO Last Thursday, I had the privilege to be a panellist at an artificial intelligence conference organized by the Belgium Development Agency, Enabel, together with the Estonian Centre for International Development (ESTDEV) and the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change in Brussels. The conference “How will AI reshape international development?” focused on
BY KRISTOF TITECA Since early February, the Democratic Republic of Congo’s capital, Kinshasa, has been rocked by protests directed against western embassies. Protests took place in front of the British and French embassies, and in front of United Nations buildings. Throughout the city, American and Belgian flags were burned. The protesters are denouncing what they believed
BY MAREW ABEBE SALEMOT Two attempts have been made over the past six years to broker peace between the Ethiopian government and the armed rebel group Oromo Liberation Front. The armed group was formed half a century ago with the goal of carving out an independent state for Oromia, the country’s largest regional state. Both
