Africa Center Commentary & Analysis

Briefing by Gérard Prunier on Sudan and South Sudan

The Atlantic Council’s Africa Center hosted a briefing by Senior Fellow Gérard Prunier on the internal political dynamics in Sudan and South Sudan, especially those driving recent conflicts within and between the two countries, and how those will likely play themselves out in the near- and intermediate-term.

Al Shabab Mainly a Local Problem in Somalia

By Bronwyn Bruton

With Al Qaeda on the back foot in the Middle East, Africa is widely regarded as the next frontier in the war on terrorism and the next source of terrorism in the United States. But across Africa — in Addis Ababa, Kampala, Lagos and Nairobi — Christians and Muslims cheerfully rub shoulders. And Islamist militant […]

Why Nairobi

By Bronwyn Bruton

The attack on Nairobi’s Westgate mall is a vicious development in the war on terrorism: It signals the evolution of an unpopular splinter faction of a radical Somali group into a truly transnational terrorist organization. It also marks a major failure for the United States’ counterterrorism strategy in Somalia.

The Real Reason al-Shabab Attacked a Mall in Kenya

By Bronwyn Bruton

Kenya has suffered devastating terror attacks in the past, worst among them al-Qaeda’s bombing of the American embassy in Nairobi (and simultaneously in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania) in 1998. That attack killed almost two hundred Kenyans, and was followed in 2002 by an attempted missile strike on an Israeli commercial airline and the destruction of […]

Photos from Westgate Shopping Mall in Nairobi

Terrorists attacked an upscale mall in Nairobi, Kenya, on Saturday, September 21. Since early 2012, experts from the Africa Center have talked about the likelihood of Kenya becoming a target for Somali terrorist groups. We’re aggregating relevant content, including media appearances and publications.Below are photo galleries from the initial attack and from earlier today when […]

Kenya Working Group Meeting with Ministerial Delegation from the Republic of Kenya

The Atlantic Council’s Africa Center hosted a meeting of the Kenya Working Group with a ministerial delegation from the Republic of Kenya, including H.E. Amina Mohamed, cabinet secretary of foreign affairs, and H.E. Fred Matiangi, cabinet secretary of information, communication, and technology. The session was moderated by Ambassador William M. Bellamy, Warburg professor of international […]

Transition Seminar for US Representative to the African Union Reuben E. Brigety II

The Atlantic Council’s Africa Center hosted a transition seminar for Reuben E. Brigety II, recently confirmed by the US Senate as representative of the United States of America to the African Union with the personal rank of ambassador.

A Better AGOA for Africa

By Adrienne Chuck

The twelfth African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) forum opens on Monday in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, bringing together senior US and African policymakers to discuss the extension of the trade legislation ahead of its September 2015 expiration date.

Power Africa the Right Choice

By Sam Fishman

President Barack Obama’s “Power Africa” initiative, announced during his six-day tour of Senegal, South Africa, and Tanzania in early July, is a major step forward for an administration that has remained relatively inactive in the Sub-Sahara. Though the $7 billion pledge will be spread over three to five years, matching promises from the business community […]