Africa Center Commentary & Analysis

Through high-level relationships and a track record of well-respected analysis, the Africa Center speaks directly to the stakeholders who matter, shaping policy on the foremost issues of this dynamic continent.

New Atlanticist

Jul 11, 2016

South Sudan: Heading Down a Familiar Road to War?

By Ashish Kumar Sen

The international community needs to take a more active role in defusing the crisis in South Sudan where gun battles between forces loyal to the president and vice president over the weekend resulted in the death of 200 people, said the Atlantic Council’s J. Peter Pham. Contending that South Sudan’s president, Salva Kiir, and his […]

East Africa

AfricaSource

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

AfricaSource

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 […]

Bremain vs Brexit

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 […]

Africa

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

Event Recap

Jun 20, 2016

An Insider’s View of the American Election: A Roundtable for African Ambassadors

By Africa Center

On Monday, June 20, the Africa Center hosted Lanny Davis, co-founder and partner at Trident DMG, Democratic strategist, and former White House special counsel to President Bill Clinton, for a roundtable discussion with African ambassadors on the 2016 US presidential election.

AfricaSource

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

AfricaSource

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

New Atlanticist

Jun 7, 2016

What the UN Gets Wrong About Rights in Eritrea

By Ashish Kumar Sen

A finding of crimes against humanity would be indefensible, said the Atlantic Council’s Bronwyn Bruton A UN panel’s expected conclusion that crimes against humanity are being committed in Eritrea would be legally indefensible because of the flawed methodology in the compilation of the report and would further erode the credibility of the International Criminal Court […]

Eritrea

AfricaSource

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