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AfricaSource

Jul 25, 2019

How should the US approach LGBT rights in Africa?

By Stephanie Mithika

The framing of LGBT rights as a form of neocolonialism has proven an effective tool for local politicians and religious leaders who wish to prevent progress on the issue – and who often form alliances with foreign religious groups and governments in the process.

Africa English

AfricaSource

Jul 22, 2019

Reviewing Mauritania’s historic election

By Luke Tyburski

Mauritania’s June 22 presidential election marked the country’s first democratic transfer of power since independence. The ruling party’s Mohamed Ould Ghazouani won with 52 percent of the vote, and his closest challenger, Biram Dah Abeid, received 18 percent. But the election was less of a landslide than the vote totals imply.

Africa Elections

AfricaSource

Jul 17, 2019

Sudan’s power-sharing deal: An exercise in optimism

By Cameron Hudson

Until there is greater clarity on how the Sovereign Council will function, how it will relate to the prime minister and his Council of Ministers, and what the duties, responsibilities, and authorities of the Legislative Council will be, the agreement will remain little more than words on a page.

Africa East Africa

AfricaSource

Jun 18, 2019

Mauritania election primer

By Luke Tyburski

Mauritania’s presidential election on June 22 stands to mark the country’s first democratic transfer of power since independence in 1960. This comes as Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, who assumed control in a 2008 coup d’état, has agreed to step down, abiding by term limits. Aziz’s ruling Union for the Republic (UPR) party maintains […]

Africa Elections

AfricaSource

Feb 15, 2019

Three key issues dominating Nigeria’s election

By R. Maxwell Bone

The outcome of this election hinges on the level of voter dissatisfaction with the status quo, and on whether Nigerian voters believe that Atiku will do better.

Africa Elections

AfricaSource

Feb 5, 2019

Bolton’s risky bet in the Sahel

By Matthieu Fernandez

In December, when US National Security Advisor John Bolton previewed the Trump Administration’s security strategy for Africa, he focused more on the rising financial and political influence of China and Russia than on US plans to fight the “proliferation of Radical Islamic Terrorism” across Africa.

Africa National Security

AfricaSource

Dec 19, 2018

Congo’s election sham

By Pierre Englebert and Georges Kasongo Kalumba

The Congo government’s spurious disqualification of popular opposition candidates and the regime’s increasingly desperate attempts to prevent those remaining from campaigning demonstrate that Kabila not only intends to turn Congo’s elections into a sham.

Africa Democratic Republic of the Congo

AfricaSource

Dec 10, 2018

Looking for unity in the Sahel

By Matthieu Fernandez

Recognizing the transborder nature of the security, socioeconomic, and environmental challenges facing them – ranging from terrorism to criminal trafficking to a major unemployment crisis – Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, and Chad banded together in 2014 to form the Group of Five for the Sahel (G5 Sahel). While Western donor nations celebrated this initiative as a proof of the nations’ mutual commitment to improving the security situation in the region, in reality, the G5 Sahel remains heavily reliant on France and other international donors for funding and operational and logistic capacity, and exercises little decision-making power.

Africa English

AfricaSource

Oct 4, 2018

Notes for understanding African migration

By J. Peter Pham

This article appeared originally in French in the current print edition of the magazine Pouvoirs d’Afrique. This past summer, one could not help but wonder as the leaders of Europe and Africa, in separate meetings, seemed to talk past one another as they sought to deal with what has become one of the most significant—if […]

Africa English

AfricaSource

Aug 27, 2018

China provides Africa opportunity—and risk

By J. Peter Pham

Next week in Beijing, Chinese President Xi Jinping will open the seventh Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), the triennial summit gathering of the People’s Republic of China’s top leadership and their counterparts from all the African states except eSwatini (formerly Swaziland), Taiwan’s sole remaining diplomatic partner on the continent. Numerous African leaders, the chairperson of the […]

Africa China