Africa Center Commentary & Analysis

At Four Years Old, South Sudan is the ‘World’s Most Failed State’

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Atlantic Council’s Pham says President Salva Kiir must step down to give his country a chance Four years after it won independence from Sudan following decades of war, South Sudan is once again trapped in a vicious cycle of conflict that has turned the world’s youngest nation into a failed state, says the Atlantic Council’s […]

Is Nigeria’s Other Insurgency Making a Comeback?

By Dafe Oputu

Even as Nigeria struggles to fight against Boko Haram insurgents in its northeast, a dangerous but forgotten conflict on the other side of the country is resurfacing. Before the rise of Boko Haram, the conflict in the southern Niger Delta region had long been considered the most potent threat to Nigeria’s security. Over the years, […]

Burundi: Dust Settles after Parliamentary Elections

By Kelsey Lilley

Burundi, the central African nation entering its third month of political crisis, held parliamentary elections last week. Seventeen opposition parties formally boycotted the polls (though several others appeared on the ballot); preliminary results suggest that the ruling party of incumbent President Pierre Nkurunziza—whose announcement that he would seek a third term sparked widespread protests—won a […]

Briefing by the Foreign Minister of Burundi

By Africa Center

Since late April, the small, central African nation of Burundi has been wracked by a political crisis, marked by sometimes-violent demonstrations as well as refugee flows into neighboring countries, following a decision by incumbent President Pierre Nkurunziza to seek a controversial third term in office. On Tuesday, June 23, the Africa Center hosted a briefing by […]

Obama’s Upcoming Visit to Ethiopia Recognizes Country’s ‘Enormous Importance’

Atlantic Council’s J. Peter Pham applauds decision to add Ethiopia to African itinerary Nearly 112 years after the United States and Ethiopia established diplomatic ties, US President Barack Obama will become the first sitting American leader ever to visit the East African nation—a visit the Atlantic Council’s J. Peter Pham says is long overdue. “This […]

Roundtable with Côte d’Ivoire’s first lady

By Africa Center

On Monday, June 22, the Africa Center hosted a luncheon roundtable discussion with Dominique Ouattara, First Lady of Côte d’Ivoire, to speak about her country’s work toward eradicating the child trafficking, exploitation, and labor. After a welcome and introduction from Africa Center Director J. Peter Pham, Mrs. Ouattara discussed both the progress and obstacles to […]

Boko Haram and Escalating Regional Terror

By Dafe Oputu and Kelsey Lilley

Bottom Line Up Front: • A multinational joint task force consisting of Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon, and Niger has driven Boko Haram from key territorial strongholds in northeastern Nigeria; on June 18, the Chadian military conducted airstrikes against six Boko Haram bases in Nigeria • But the terror group continues to launch deadly, near-daily attacks throughout […]

Free Trade Pact Highlights Egypt’s Pivot Back towards Africa

By J. Peter Pham

On Wednesday, presidents and other leaders representing twenty-six African countries meeting at the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh signed an agreement to launch a “Cape to Cairo” free trade zone spanning the length of the continent. The Tripartite Free Trade Area (TFTA), as it will formally be known, will embrace three of Africa’s […]

Discussion with new ambassador of Niger

By Africa Center

As a key actor in West Africa and the Sahel, the Republic of Niger faces a number of regional challenges. The country has been impacted by conflicts in neighboring Libya, Mali, and Nigeria. At home, the Nigerien government struggles to bring economic and educational opportunities to the country’s rapidly expanding youth population.   On June […]

Crisis in Burundi: The Missed Ethnic Dimension

By J. Peter Pham

Reading recent pronouncements about the crisis in Burundi issued by the US State Department, one would think that the ambitions of incumbent President Pierre Nkurunziza for a third term are the only real issue. Of course, the question of whether he can and should seek another five years in office raise, respectively, serious, distinct issues […]