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AfricaSource

Jul 12, 2016

Reclaiming African Transitional Justice

By Daniel Samet

On May 31, Simone Gbagbo, former First Lady of Côte d’Ivoire, went on trial in Abidjan before the country’s highest criminal court for crimes against humanity. She faces charges for offenses committed during the 2010-2011 post-election crisis, when incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo refused to step down after losing to opposition leader Alassane Ouattara. What ensued […]

Africa North & West Africa

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Jul 8, 2016

Israel’s Return to Africa

By J. Peter Pham

This week Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu became the first sitting Israeli head of government to travel to Africa since Yitzhak Rabin went to see Morocco’s King Hassan II in 1993. Netanyahu made stops in Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, and Ethiopia; while in Uganda, he also met with leaders from South Sudan, Tanzania, and Zambia. Although much […]

Africa East Africa

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Jun 28, 2016

Africa and Brexit: Not All Bad News

By J. Peter Pham

Amid the global political and economic turmoil in the wake of last week’s narrow decision by British voters in favor of taking their country out of the European Union, there has been no shortage of alarm about the potential toll of “Brexit” on Africa in terms of diminished trade, investment, and assistance. While there will […]

AfricaSource

Jun 27, 2016

Factionalism in South Africa’s ANC Fuels Violent Protests

By Chloë McGrath

On June 20, violent protests broke out in Tshwane, the metropolitan municipality encompassing South Africa’s executive capital, Pretoria. The death toll associated with the chaos that ensued cost five people their lives. While violent protests are not an unusual occurrence in the embattled democracy, last week’s events are particularly significant. With just six weeks to […]

Africa South Africa

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Jun 14, 2016

A Frightening Flare-up on the Ethiopia/Eritrea Border, and Another Resounding Silence from Washington

By Bronwyn Bruton

According to Eritrean officials, in the early hours of Sunday, June 12, Ethiopian forces launched an unprovoked assault over the Eritrean border at the town of Tsorana. Heavy fighting lasted throughout the day and continued after dark, when the Eritrean forces managed to launch a counter-offensive that ended the assault. Near midnight on June 12, […]

Eritrea Ethiopia

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Jun 8, 2016

Sudan Still a “State Sponsor of Terrorism”?

By J. Peter Pham

The Secretary of State is required by law to provide the Congress with an annual “full and complete report” on terrorism. The Country Reports on Terrorism covering 2015 was released last week and makes for some interesting reading, its conclusions eliciting reactions ranging from alarm to bemusement to, quite simply, befuddlement. An example of the latter […]

Sudan

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Jun 6, 2016

Uganda’s Radical Refugee Approach

By Julian Wyss

Earlier this month, Kenya drew international condemnation by announcing the closure of Dadaab refugee complex and the repatriation of its 330,000 mostly Somali residents by November of this year. It’s not the first time Kenya has threatened to close the camp, but the political leadership is likely emboldened by the European Union’s plans to limit […]

East Africa

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May 19, 2016

America’s Friend in North Africa Deserves Better

By J. Peter Pham

It is written in the Book of Proverbs that “Faithful are the wounds of a friend.” In other words, a true friend will tell another unpleasant truths, conveying things the other may not want to hear, but doing so for the sake of the other’s own good, which is valued more than even the friendship itself. However, […]

Morocco

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May 16, 2016

No ‘Silver Bullet’ for Kenya’s Security

By Kelsey Lilley and Julian Wyss

On May 6, the Kenyan government announced that it would cease hosting the estimated 600,000 refugees that currently call Kenya home. Days later, the government scaled back its initial threat, focusing instead on northeastern Kenya’s Dadaab refugee camp, the world’s largest and home to 350,000 Somali refugees and their progeny. Despite providing little evidence, the […]

Africa East Africa

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May 3, 2016

Obama’s ‘Commercial Diplomacy’ in Africa

By Kelsey Lilley and Stephanie Sparrow

Barack Obama’s historic election as President of the United States in 2008 was the first time an American of African descent had ever held the United States’ highest position. Because of the President’s Kenyan roots, many Africans were particularly excited for what they hoped would be the start of a new era in relations between […]

Africa Economy & Business