South & Central Africa

Roundtable on foreign interference in the Central African Republic

By Africa Center

On Thursday, October 22, the Africa Center hosted, in partnership with The Sentry, a virtual private roundtable with Ms. Nathalia Dukhan, Senior Investigator for The Sentry and an expert on the Central African Republic (CAR), and Mr. David Brownstein, a career Foreign Service Officer who served as the Chargé d’Affaires at US Embassy Bangui in CAR from 2017 to 2019.

Central African Republic: Ground zero for Russian influence in Central Africa

By Nathalia Dukhan

The Kremlin has rapidly exploited the recent absence of Western involvement in the Central African Republic. Russian propaganda arms and security forces are propping up the country's embattled leader in exchange for decisive influence in the region.

Expert panel responds to incidents of North Korean sanctions evasion in the DRC

By Africa Center

On Thursday, September 3, the Africa Center hosted a virtual panel to discuss the latest report published by The Sentry: Overt Affairs: How North Korean Businessmen Busted Sanctions in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Sentry’s Director of Illicit Finance Policy Ms. Hilary Mossberg provided opening remarks alongside Africa Center Director of Programs and Studies Ms. Bronwyn Bruton, […]

#DFRLabCoffeeBreak with Bhekisisa Centre for Health Journalism, Aisha Abdool Karim

DFRLab's Research Assistant, Tessa Knight sits down with Aisha Abdool Karim, journalist for the Bhekisisa Centre for Health Journalism to discuss South Africa's fight against COVID-19 and the disinformation surrounding it.

Pandemic policing: South Africa’s most vulnerable face a sharp increase in police-related brutality

By Katie Trippe

South Africa is one of several nations facing an international outcry over increases in COVID-19 related violence against civilians by security forces bent on enforcing quarantine measures. Since South Africa instituted a country-wide lockdown on March 27, the number of violent incidents by police against civilians has reportedly more than doubled with poor and vulnerable populations most affected.

The “shadow pandemic” of gender-based violence

By Joanne Chukwueke

While lockdowns and social distancing measures have been essential in the battle against the coronavirus pandemic, they have also produced unintended consequences: increased rates of domestic violence. As COVID-19 spreads in African countries, demand for support services for victims of gender-based violence continues to rise.

Using Google reports to estimate Africa’s response to COVID-19: A compilation of the data

By Neil Edwards

Google's newly released mobility reports provide statistical breakdowns by country of residents’ mobility to a variety of common locations including retail and recreation spaces, grocery stores, transit stations, places of work, and residences. This blog pursues a deep dive of the data, remarking on Africa's varied responses.