Pursuing Peace in Sudan

Members of the SPLM-N riding in a technical. Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons. Sudan is in the midst of a political transition that many hope will fulfill the demands of the nation’s people for civilian government. Three decades of authoritarian rule under Omar al-Bashir, which sowed widespread popular distrust in the state and fueled longstanding social, … Continue reading Pursuing Peace in Sudan

Enhancing Regional Security Cooperation in the African Great Lakes Region

DRC soldiers on patrol. Photo Credit: Reuters. The African Great Lakes region requires a more comprehensive regional security framework and strategy to manage the threat of transnational militias. The Great Lakes region in Africa comprises the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania. There are numerous transnational militias operating … Continue reading Enhancing Regional Security Cooperation in the African Great Lakes Region

Strengthening Regional Engagement and Dialogue in East Africa

East and West of the Red Sea. Photo Credit: NASA image courtesy MODIS Rapid Response Team, Goddard Space Flight Center. By: Iakovos Balassi, Columnist East African states must take coordinated, proactive measures to deter exploitation and manage the impacts of foreign investments in the region. The geopolitics of East Africa are shifting, in large part due … Continue reading Strengthening Regional Engagement and Dialogue in East Africa

How the Gulf States’ Investments are Destabilizing the Horn of Africa

An Ethiopian farmer watches as his farmland is confiscated and reworked by foreign investors. Photo Credit: Deutsche Welle By: Jordan Abu-Sirriya, Columnist In December of 2018, diplomats from six states—Jordan, Yemen, Somalia, Sudan, Djibouti, and Egypt— adjacent to the Gulf of Aden and Red Sea arrived in Saudi Arabia to discuss and form the Red … Continue reading How the Gulf States’ Investments are Destabilizing the Horn of Africa

A Stolen Election in the DRC – Where does US Policy Go From Here?

Outgoing president Joseph Kabila adorns incoming Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi (right) at his inauguration on January 24, 2019. Photo Credit: Jerome Delay/AP By: Taylor Clausen, Columnist It has been two months since the Democratic Republic of Congo’s presidential election, and nothing has gone according to plan. For the past year, the United States’ foreign policy in … Continue reading A Stolen Election in the DRC – Where does US Policy Go From Here?

Assessing Challenges to AMISOM’s Exit

Senior military officers of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and other international partners attend the closing session of the AMISOM Sector Commanders Conference in Mogadishu, Somalia, Feb. 15, 2019. Photo Credit: O. Abdisalan/AMISOM. By: Iakovos Balassi, Columnist While the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) has made progress towards weakening al-Shabaab, the force … Continue reading Assessing Challenges to AMISOM’s Exit

Saudi Arabia’s Sudanese Mercenaries in Yemen

Sudanese soldiers are seen as the second part of the Sudan Army forces arrive in the city to support Saudi-led coalition forces in Aden, Yemen on November 09, 2015. Photo Credit: Getty Images By: Yuri Neves, Columnist A December 2018 report by the New York Times has revealed that Saudi Arabia is utilizing Sudanese child … Continue reading Saudi Arabia’s Sudanese Mercenaries in Yemen

Weaponizing Gender Violence in South Sudan

February 11, 2017, A soldier walks past women carrying their belongings near Benitu, northern South Sudan. Photo Credit: Reuters/Siegfried Modola By: Alicia Chavy, Columnist In South Sudan, legacies of violence against women, a weak state structure, and lack of security guarantees on an individual level are severely undermining the prospects of a peaceful conflict resolution. … Continue reading Weaponizing Gender Violence in South Sudan

Abyei: A Fleeting Opportunity

UN Peacekeeping in Abyei. Photo Credit: United Nations By: Hamad Abbas, Columnist To prevent another deadly conflict and protect foreign policy interests, the United States should exert pressure on Sudan and South Sudan to resolve the territorial dispute of Abyei peacefully. Time is of the essence as the United Nations recently announced its plans to … Continue reading Abyei: A Fleeting Opportunity

ISIS’s Use of Social Media Still Poses a Threat to Stability in the Middle East and Africa

Photo Credit: Version Daily By Antonia Ward, Columnist ISIS’s strategic use of social media demonstrates the resourcefulness of the terrorist-cum-insurgent organization, which mobilized an estimated 40,000 foreign nationals from 110 countries to join the group.[i] Increasing internet access in both Africa and the Middle East means that ISIS also has a new pool of potential supporters who, … Continue reading ISIS’s Use of Social Media Still Poses a Threat to Stability in the Middle East and Africa