Image Source: Sudan War Monitor Wars have dominated this year’s election news cycle, with the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza featuring prominently in President Biden’s 2024 State of the Union Address. In contrast, the Sudanese Civil War, which erupted just over one year ago on April 15, 2023, remains notably underreported, garnering the unfortunate moniker … Continue reading Remembering a Forgotten War: United States Policy Options to Resolve Sudan’s Civil War
Category: Sub-Saharan Africa
The End of MINUSMA: Russia Competes with the UN for Global Influence
Image Source: United Nations In late December 2023, the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali, MINUSMA, finalized its withdrawal from the country after over a decade on the ground. Its exodus came after Mali’s transitional military government withdrew its consent for the UN peacekeeping mission, citing the UN’s inability to curb the violence they had been … Continue reading The End of MINUSMA: Russia Competes with the UN for Global Influence
Beyond Conflict: The Ripple Effect of Houthi Attacks in the Red Sea
Image Source: AP On October 19, 2023, the U.S.S. Carney intercepted three Houthi cruise missiles and several drones in the Red Sea. The missiles were launched from Yemen and targeted commercial vessels, decidedly marking the beginning of ongoing confrontations with Houthi insurgents in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. This takes place against … Continue reading Beyond Conflict: The Ripple Effect of Houthi Attacks in the Red Sea
De-Risking, The Lobito Corridor, and the United States’ Approach to African Development
Image Source: Bloomberg YouTube Video Catalyzed by geopolitical competition with the People’s Republic of China (PRC), and crises like the COVID-19 pandemic, the United States is approaching issues like the production and use of potentially strategic technologies as key national security issues. This recalibration, known as “de-risking,” has highlighted the vital concern of supply chain … Continue reading De-Risking, The Lobito Corridor, and the United States’ Approach to African Development
A Possible Vanguard for Security Cooperation? The Crisis in Cabo Delgado and the Potential for Positive Engagement with the African Continent
Image Source: International Policy Digest Among the multiplicity of security crises that beset the African continent, the rising jihadist insurgency in northern Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado often escapes the global spotlight. However, it stands as a solemn vigil of the complex security dilemmas confronting numerous African nations. This overlooked conflict, rooted in a confluence of historical … Continue reading A Possible Vanguard for Security Cooperation? The Crisis in Cabo Delgado and the Potential for Positive Engagement with the African Continent
Ending Gender-based Violence Requires Comprehensive Engagement — A Reminder to men: Finish what you Started
Image Source: Women for Women In principle, the civil war in South Sudan ended after a peace agreement was signed in 2018. In principle, South Sudan’s constitution ensures a 35 percent representation quota for women in government. Again, in principle, initiatives, training, and bills such as the Gender-Based Violence Bill and the Women’s Empowerment Bill … Continue reading Ending Gender-based Violence Requires Comprehensive Engagement — A Reminder to men: Finish what you Started
The Need for Private Investment to Tackle Climate Change in Africa
Image Source: Focal Foto The evidence is clear: within ten years the world is likely to surpass the 1.5°C global warming threshold. Surpassing this threshold will significantly endanger natural systems and will be accompanied by major climate catastrophes. Even if the threshold is avoided, climate change will have a significant – although highly disproportionate – … Continue reading The Need for Private Investment to Tackle Climate Change in Africa
China’s Monopoly over Critical Minerals
Image Source: BBC As part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has taken to investing in critical mineral mines globally. One of these investment hotspots is the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). In 2020, the DRC was the world’s largest cobalt miner, producing 41 of all cobalt resources. Although not … Continue reading China’s Monopoly over Critical Minerals
Zambia: A Beacon of Democracy in Africa
Image Source: Salim Dawood/AFP/ via Getty Images, on PBS. US Vice President Kamala Harris and Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema. President Joe Biden convened the second Summit for Democracy last month. This time, the U.S. government co-hosted the virtual event with regional partners, including the governments of Costa Rica, the Netherlands, South Korea, and Zambia. The … Continue reading Zambia: A Beacon of Democracy in Africa
Globalized Crises: The War in Ukraine and COVID-19’s Impact on Al-Shabaab Recruitment
Mogadishu, Somalia. Image Source: Reuters via The Guardian East Africa is a terrorist hotbed—surpassing the Middle East, South Asia, and North Africa for the most terrorist deaths in 2022. Sixty percent of the global terrorist attacks in this region occur because of the many Salafi-Jihadist terrorist groups. Al-Shabaab, the second deadliest group of 2022, operates … Continue reading Globalized Crises: The War in Ukraine and COVID-19’s Impact on Al-Shabaab Recruitment