The Kremlin-backed private military contractor is using shady business ventures for unofficial Russian diplomacy across the African continent, researchers say. At first, their presence is often just a rumor. Later, it’s an open secret. Thousands of mercenaries with Russia’s Wagner Group are active in several African countries. In the Central African Republic, for example, 1,890 […]
Tag: Peace and Security
Ceasefires and security objectives are understandably the priority, but assisting refugees is central to achieving peace. The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has struggled with a multifaceted humanitarian crisis since the 1990s. The situation worsened in the past two years as the number and magnitude of conflicts escalated, especially in the east. Millions have […]
Southern Africa is among the most vulnerable regions in the world to climate change. Climate-related impacts such as droughts, floods and tropical cyclones undermine development and reduce the availability of natural resources, affecting the majority of the region’s population. Further, climate change can increase the risk of insecurity and violent conflict, when its impacts interact with social, political […]
As Angola sends troops, Congo hopes that new military alliances can stop the violence in its eastern regions. Massacres are increasing, humanitarian aid is paralyzed and a new mass exodus seems inevitable. The effects of violence and instability are spilling over the Democratic Republic of Congo’s borders. Since the beginning of March, 300 to 600 […]
An important trial in the “Mulombodi” case opened in Kinshasa on March 20, more than six years after the events. This religious site near Kananga airport was the scene of atrocities in September 2016. Two top Congolese police and army officers are on trial for their alleged role in the violence. The events took place […]
Unlike its neighbours, Niger has made dialogue with violent extremist groups an important part of its strategy. On 10 February, Niger suffered one of its deadliest attacks when gunmen with suspected links to violent extremist groups ambushed a military convoy in Banibangou, a community in the Tillabéri region. Seventeen soldiers died and 13 were injured, […]
Although for quite sometimes now, violent attacks from gangs in Kaduna State tend to have relatively disappeared. In times past, activities of gangs such as Sara-Suka who engages in snatching peoples valuables was common, the group made up of youths engages in taking and smoking of hard drugs resulting into inflicting injuries on their victims […]
Abyei / Khartoum — After joint meetings between the governments of Sudan and South Sudan in Khartoum earlier this week, Sultan of the Ngok Dinka in Abyei Belbek Kuol Deng said that it is the wish of all people in the disputed region to find a final solution to the Abyei issue that will lead […]
Burundi was the first country to offer troops to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in 2022 as part of east Africa’s peace drive after a wave of attacks from the rebel group known as Mouvement du 23 Mars (M23). Burundi shares a 243km border with the DRC. Most of it runs through the Rusizi/Ruzizi […]
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Sudan’s RSF to Observe a 72-Hour Truce
New York — Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces said Friday it has agreed to a 72-hour truce to begin at 6 a.m., designed to bring at least a temporary halt to the days of deadly fighting in the African country that has killed hundreds. The RSF said in a statement, “The truce coincides with the […]
In April 1994, Butare, now Huye District, saw unfathomable mass murders, rapes, and other atrocities committed against the Tutsi. In one family, however, a woman, her son, and her daughter-in-law had superior responsibility in all of it. In 1995, the woman, Rwandan genocide convict Pauline Nyiramasuhuko, told the BBC in an interview that she didn’t […]
Nairobi — Limited Access to Water, Electricity, Medical Care Fuels Humanitarian Crisis The two warring armed forces in Sudan have repeatedly used explosive weapons in urban areas that have caused loss of civilian life and property, damaged critical infrastructure, and left millions without access to basic necessities, Human Rights Watch said today. The United Nations […]
Nigeria, as a leading voice in Africa, must prepare to participate in the processes that ensure the unity and restoration of peace in Sudan. Thankfully the Nigerian authorities got it right this time, or somewhat, with the evacuation of over 500 Nigerians out of the ongoing mess in Sudan, and talks are out there that […]
Burkina Faso is experiencing an unprecedented humanitarian crisis that has seen 1.99 million internally displaced people flee violence perpetrated by jihadist groups (OCHA, 31 March 2023). The northern town of Djibo has now been under blockade by non-state armed groups for over a year and remains largely cut off from food and aid. The movement […]
Questions about who mediates in a conflict – and when – are crucial. Mediation is about trust, an awareness of regional realities and insights into complex politics. It should happen before conflict reaches a mutually damaging stalemate. This spares lives and political disintegration of the kind seen in Libya and Somalia. Who’s likely to be […]
HRW says although Nigerian authorities admitted carrying out the raid, they evaded “key questions” concerning the circumstances surrounding the attack. The Nigerian Air Force has finally taken responsibility for the deadly airstrike on Kwatiri, a rural community in Nasarawa State, North-central Nigeria, after months of uncertainties about the identities of the attackers, a new report […]
The International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals recently concluded a two-year court hearing on Félicien Kabuga. Kabuga is accused of crimes against humanity during the Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda in 1994. The court ruled that he was not mentally fit for trial. The court proposed that the tribunal judges find an “alternative procedure […]
Hostilities between rival military parties in Sudan had claimed more than 600 lives by May 2023. The infighting has mostly been between the Sudanese Armed Forces loyal to Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, Sudan’s current military ruler, and the Rapid Support Forces, a paramilitary force led by his deputy Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, “Hemedti”. Sudan and Nigeria have […]