ISS, Institute for Security Studies
Why aren’t sanctions preventing coups in Africa?
20th November 2023 In response to the resurgence of coups since 2019, the African Union (AU) and regional economic blocs have issued sanctions against errant states,... →
Drones as weapons: Africa needs better data to anticipate risk
17th November 2023 In October this year, Africa’s air force chiefs of staff and air force industry representatives gathered in Senegal. They agreed the continent... →
Lack of funding could sink Africa’s ocean protection efforts
17th November 2023 Over 11-million tonnes of plastic are dumped into the world’s oceans annually, and 90% of its fish population has been fully exploited or... →
Will Africa remain on the sidelines of Sudan’s Jeddah talks?
16th November 2023 Since civil war broke out in Sudan in April, approximately 10 000 people have died and six million Sudanese are displaced internally and across... →
Pledges aren’t enough to protect East Africa’s refugees
14th November 2023 Despite East Africa’s recent commitments, it is becoming increasingly difficult for countries in the region to sustain financial support for... →
Climate risk in a world at war
13th November 2023 Since the Hamas attack on Israel on 7 October, the world has seen the unfolding of possibly the worst humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip. This... →
All agree Agoa should be renewed – but how?
10th November 2023 At the 20th African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa) annual forum in Johannesburg last week, the United States (US) government and Congress,... →
A year after the Pretoria agreement, hard work remains for Ethiopia
10th November 2023 On 2 November 2022 in Pretoria, Ethiopia’s federal government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) signed the Cessation of Hostilities... →
Intense rivalry makes transparency vital in Liberia’s runoff election
8th November 2023 Liberia’s 10 October elections marked a significant milestone for the fledgling democracy. They were the first general elections managed entirely... →
Fraudulent municipal elections cripple democracy in Mozambique
7th November 2023 The National Electoral Commission declared Mozambique’s ruling party FRELIMO the winner in 64 out of 65 municipalities participating in the... →
Ghana’s sophisticated artisanal firearms trade needs regulating
7th November 2023 All it takes to manufacture a craft firearm in Ghana is US$9. Gunsmiths produce about 200 000 of these illegal weapons a year, selling them for... →
Navigating the complex terrain of China-Africa debt relations
2nd November 2023 Africa’s mounting debt crisis could undermine the continent’s economic progress and stability. The problem has worsened with the economic fallout... →
Too much, too fast? Somalia joins the East African Community
1st November 2023 Somalia is poised to become the East African Community’s (EAC) eighth member state at the economic bloc’s December summit. This follows... →
Can South Africa contain pangolin trafficking?
1st November 2023 When asked about his favourite pangolin story, Francois Meyer, a pangolin release specialist, tells the story of Ally. After being rescued from the... →
Rethinking the language of mental healthcare in Africa
31st October 2023 Overcoming mental health challenges isn’t just a matter of personal wellbeing but a crucial element in creating robust, peaceful and prosperous... →
Madagascar’s age-old foes scuffle more on streets than in hustings
30th October 2023 The Malagasy people will, on 16 November, go to elections amid growing demonstrations by the opposition that are putting the country on a knife... →
Madagascar’s age-old foes scuffle more on streets than in hustings
27th October 2023 The Malagasy people will, on 16 November, go to elections amid growing demonstrations by the opposition that are putting the country on a knife... →
Beyond a cessation of hostilities, Ethiopia needs comprehensive peace
26th October 2023 It has been almost a year since the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement (CoHA) ended a two-year civil war in northern Ethiopia. The clashes... →
Gabon and the role of political transitions in preventing coups
25th October 2023 In August, Gabon faced a pivotal crossroads when a coup unfolded, marking the end of a staggering 56-year rule by the Bongo family. The dynasty had... →
Banditry on the border needs joint Nigeria-Niger efforts
25th October 2023 Bandits have terrorised north-west Nigerians for about a decade, and attacks are rising. Rape and other sexual violence, abductions and killings... →
Southern Africa’s security hinges on actioning its organised crime strategy
24th October 2023 Organised crime in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) seems to be worsening. Porous borders, weak governance and development... →
Africa’s three waves of coups
23rd October 2023 The toppling of King Farouk in 1952 by the Egyptian army marked the beginning of military intervention to gain political power in Africa. Since... →
ECOWAS support remains crucial for Guinea’s peaceful transition
19th October 2023 The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) seems focused on restoring constitutional order in Niger since the 26 July coup that ousted... →
Decisive action lacking at UN-AU security consultations
19th October 2023 Africa’s stability is inextricably linked to international peace and security. For that reason, the African Union’s Peace and Security Council... →
East Africa’s youth scammed by promises of overseas work
18th October 2023 On 23 May, Kenya’s Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) issued an arrest warrant for Wycliffe Onguti Magara. Magara had been identified as... →
From ubuntu to gacaca: traditional justice could benefit Ethiopia’s transition
17th October 2023 Ethiopia has a wealth of traditional dispute-resolution mechanisms that help achieve reconciliation, mend fractured relationships and preserve... →
Libya’s rival governments propose a merger to hold elections
13th October 2023 Libya has found itself in an anomalous predicament. Its two deeply divided and competing governments are in rare accord about how to take the riven... →
Guinea’s new constitution: a platform for political stability?
12th October 2023 Two years ago, military officers overthrew president Alpha Condé’s regime on 5 September 2021 – less than a year after he started his controversial... →
Free to Grow: preventing family violence through workplace programmes
11th October 2023 A reported 293 children and 895 women were murdered in South Africa between April and June this year, according to the South African Police... →
Africa isn’t ready for a withdrawal of peacekeepers
10th October 2023 Peacekeeping operations have played a crucial role in stabilising fragile situations across Africa for over 60 years. More than 13 United Nations... →
Africa’s ocean of organised crime
9th October 2023 The ocean is central to global illicit trade. Criminal networks plunder marine resources, scour shipping lanes for vessels to hijack, and traverse... →
Eswatini conducts a competent caricature of democracy
9th October 2023 Eswatini – or Swaziland as some of its citizens still call it – held last Friday what should be called a reasonably competent charade of a... →
Africa can end its rash of military coups
5th October 2023 Military coups were common in Africa during the Cold War, and now seem to be returning. Between January 2020 and August 2023, there were five... →
Kidnappings in the Sahel – a favoured weapon of war
4th October 2023 Over 180 kidnappings were recorded in the war-torn countries of Mali and Burkina Faso in the first half of 2023 – an average of one a day. This... →
Africa needs a people-centred approach to climate action
3rd October 2023 In September, Africa was struck by a devastating climate event when heavy rains caused two dams to collapse in Libya, flooding the east coast city... →
Going nowhere slowly at the UN General Assembly’s annual debate
29th September 2023 The general debate at the recent United Nations General Assembly’s 78th session concluded in much the same way as the many that preceded it – with... →
What does evidence-based policing offer South Africa?
28th September 2023 Four months into the rollout of the Crime Prevention Wardens in South Africa’s Gauteng province, media reports suggest they may be doing more harm... →
Anti-gay laws: Africa’s human rights regression
28th September 2023 In most of Africa – 33 out of 55 countries – homosexuality is a crime punishable by imprisonment. This year alone, six states (Kenya, Ghana,... →
Can China be a more attractive security partner for Africa?
26th September 2023 As China offers Africa an alternative to traditional Western partnerships, its deepening multilateral engagements could considerably impact the... →
The Gambia redoubles efforts to scupper maritime drug trafficking
26th September 2023 The Gambia is a key transit point for South American cocaine being smuggled to Europe. In February, over 800 kg of cocaine that had been... →
Fortress South Africa – open to the highest bidder
22nd September 2023 Securing borders against irregular migration has come to dominate global immigration policymaking and spending – driven largely by inaccurate... →
