ISS, Institute for Security Studies
Pretoria’s ‘get out of jail free’ card
21st July 2023 After months of speculation, a decision has finally been made – Russian President Vladimir Putin won’t attend the August Brics... →
Sanctions alone won’t shut down Libya’s illicit economies
20th July 2023 Twelve years on from Libya’s revolution, the country remains fragile. The government has limited reach, with de facto power exercised by competing... →
Will the Russia-Africa Summit balance pageantry and politics?
19th July 2023 The second Russia-Africa Summit on 27-28 July in St Petersburg is viewed by Moscow as the preeminent stage to rekindle relations with Africa. The... →
Winning talk doesn’t mean Mozambique’s insurgency is over
19th July 2023 The presidents of Mozambique and Rwanda have been making victory speeches about the Cabo Delgado insurgency being almost over. They are creating... →
Communication blackout: impact of power grid collapse on ICT
17th July 2023 Eskom, South Africa’s electricity utility, insists a grid collapse is ‘unlikely’ and that it would take an ‘unforeseen and sudden sequence of... →
Ruto hustles to dodge a debt trap
14th July 2023 Ten months into his presidency, Kenya’s President William Ruto is battling strong headwinds. He won office as the champion of the ‘hustlers’ – the... →
Elite unit brutality reflects widespread police impunity in SA
13th July 2023 The assault on three occupants of a vehicle by Presidential Protection Unit (PPU) security officers assigned to Deputy President Paul Mashatile has... →
Kenya’s rise in al-Shabaab attacks calls for localised solutions
13th July 2023 In the past three weeks, over 30 security force officers have been killed by improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in more than 10 attacks across... →
Risks and rewards of AI for organised crime in Africa
11th July 2023 In 2019, a British company was defrauded of US$243 000 when the voice of the chief executive was impersonated by criminals using artificial... →
Sudan’s crisis could delay South Sudan’s already slow transition
10th July 2023 The war that erupted in April between elements of Sudan’s security apparatus could hamper its neighbour South Sudan’s already sluggish peace... →
Macron’s financing summit provides more momentum than money
10th July 2023 The New Global Financing Pact summit, which French President Emmanuel Macron convened in Paris last month, was certainly ambitious. ‘We are clear... →
MINUSMA leaves Mali: will regional leaders step up on security?
7th July 2023 On 30 June the United Nations (UN) Security Council voted unanimously to end the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali... →
Africa’s Ukraine-Russia mediation needed a clearer AU footprint
7th July 2023 Food, fertiliser and fuel are among the reasons Africa needs the Russia-Ukraine war to end quickly. With Africa becoming an arena for geopolitical... →
School terror attack highlights Uganda’s security gaps
4th July 2023 On 16 June, militants stormed Mpondwe Lhubiriha Secondary School in western Uganda, near the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) border, killing... →
Africa’s bond walls and ballot trains
3rd July 2023 Since Covid-19, African economies have muddled through a series of internal and external shocks. While some moved swiftly to arrest the rut, others... →
President Bola Tinubu tackles Nigeria’s economy
30th June 2023 Not even a month after Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s inauguration on 29 May, he’d carried out major economic reforms advocated for by... →
Prigozhin’s rebellion throws Wagner’s African future into doubt
29th June 2023 The brazen but brief rebellion that Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin launched in Russia at the weekend, and the deal he cut with Russian President... →
Touadéra’s perilous referendum project
28th June 2023 In May, Central African President Faustin-Archange Touadéra announced a constitutional referendum for 30 July 2023. This announcement was the... →
Boko Haram brings IEDs back to Cameroon
27th June 2023 Boko Haram’s return to using improvised explosive devices (IEDs) is a major worry for Cameroon’s Far North Region. Until recently, the region... →
Journalism on trial in Africa: fortitude and fake news
26th June 2023 The world of journalism has been somewhat emboldened since 7 June when judges in a South African High Court threw out a private prosecution brought... →
African peace mission: one step forward, one step back?
23rd June 2023 Africa’s Ukraine-Russia peace mission represents a significant milestone for the continent. It is the first time African states have taken the lead... →
Avoiding the worst-case scenario in Senegal
23rd June 2023 President Macky Sall’s upcoming address to Senegalese citizens will be critical to easing deep-seated political tensions that have thrown the... →
Sudan needs African Union boots on the ground
22nd June 2023 While international and regional responses to the crisis in Sudan have been swift, they haven’t stopped the violence perpetrated against civilians.... →
Rising tides threaten low-lying coastal West Africa
21st June 2023 The global average sea level is expected to rise by up to half a metre by 2050 and up to two metres by 2100. This is due to the expansion of... →
SA cholera outbreak: governance failures bode ill for climate catastrophes
20th June 2023 On his visit this month to the town of Hammanskraal after South Africa’s recent cholera outbreak, President Cyril Ramaphosa admitted to the... →
What Africa wants and what the West needs to do
15th June 2023 If the West wants to position itself in Africa for the future – and in relation to China – the focus should be on good governance instead of... →
Supportive families are pivotal to preventing violent extremism
15th June 2023 In 2021, around 180-million children lived in conflict zones in Africa – the highest number of all regions globally. And the World Health... →
South Africa does have the means to reduce violence
13th June 2023 In May, police minister Bheki Cele praised the South African Police Service’ (SAPS) ‘more boots on the ground’ approach to fighting crime. His... →
Civilian-state security cooperation in Benin and Togo: a double-edged sword
12th June 2023 Attacks by violent extremists in Benin and Togo are rising. Since the first incidents in 2019 in Benin and 2021 in Togo, insurgents’ tactics have... →
Sierra Leone at a crossroads ahead of June 2023 polls
9th June 2023 Sierra Leoneans head to the polls on 24 June to elect a new president, parliamentarians, mayors and local councillors. This will be the fifth... →
Is the blue economy a route to stronger AU-EU ties?
8th June 2023 World Oceans Day on 8 June is an opportunity to reflect on the ocean's vital role in sustainable development, food security and climate change... →
Is South Africa’s defence force up for new thinking?
7th June 2023 Among a flurry of references to ambitions and planning processes, Minister of Defence and Military Veterans Thandi Modise’s recent budget speech... →
Loss and damage funding vital after DRC and Rwanda floods
5th June 2023 In May, torrential rains caused flooding and landslides that killed hundreds of people and washed away entire villages in the Democratic Republic... →
Police corruption should be a focus in tackling stock theft
1st June 2023 Alleged police involvement in stock theft is leading to authorities’ failure to effectively investigate incidents and contribute to rural safety in... →
The leadership we deserve
31st May 2023 It is now undeniable. The crisis of leadership in South African politics, academia, business and civil society is a failure we shoulder... →
Nigeria should engage China for AfCFTA success
30th May 2023 Nigeria is a state party to the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement but was among the last of 54 countries to sign due to... →
Could this round of debt dialogue push Zimbabwe to reform?
29th May 2023 Zimbabwe is once again trying to engage its creditors Bretton Woods institutions and the Paris Club, in negotiating a reprieve around its debt... →
Back to square one: political infighting again stalls Lesotho reforms
26th May 2023 Last week Lesotho’s government imposed a nationwide curfew after the murder of courageous investigative journalist Ralikonelo Joki and the rising... →
SA foreign policy must balance constitutional values and national interest
25th May 2023 South Africa’s foreign policy seems rife with confusion and lack of principle. Capacity in the Department of International Relations and... →
Could UN funding for AU peace missions become the norm?
24th May 2023 The African Union (AU) and its regional economic communities have deployed about 27 peace support operations in Africa since the 2000s. These... →
Wheels come off South Africa’s hollow version of non-alignment
23rd May 2023 Following United States (US) Ambassador Reuben Brigety’s accusations that South Africa supplied arms to Russia, attention has rightfully focused on... →
