This Week in Africa

October 4, 2024

Quote of the week

“He made us who we are. That guy is a giant.” – Masai Ujiri on Dikembe Mutombo

Sudan’s civil war

The world is failing Sudan. The US has failed to support democracy in the country. UN experts call for urgent protection of civilians in Khartoum after reports of summary executions. Cultural and heritage sites are destroyed. Sudanese forces recently launched a major offensive against the RSF in Khartoum. Yousra Elbagir takes us inside recently “liberated” Khartoum North. Listen to this analysis for more. Meanwhile, Sudan is amidst a large-scale cholera outbreak. Does the country need more peacekeeping? Where is the political will to avert catastrophe?

Elections in Tunisia

Tunisians go to the polls on October 6 to elect a president. Learn more about the race here. Authorities have cracked down on opposition in the lead up to the polls. The country has experienced an autocratic resurgence in recent years. Is the country losing its grip on democracy? Will voters show up?

Mozambican elections

Mozambique holds presidential and legislative elections on October 9. The election could signal a change in tactics in the Cabo Delgado province. Read this for a good summary.

Marburg virus outbreak in Rwanda

Rwanda faces a Marburg outbreak. At least eleven people have died.

Boat disasters

78 people died when a boat capsized on Lake Kivu in eastern Congo. Across the continent, more than 60 people died in Nigeria after a boat capsized on the Niger River. Another 100 people are missing after being forced off boats in Djibouti.

Africa and the UN

Africa continues its push for representation on the UN security council. Chris Ògúnmọ́dẹdé argues that Africa’s demand for UN security council reform needs sharper focus.

Struggle for rights and freedom

Learn more about Kenya’s information manipulation. Alex Thurston explains Senegalese exceptionalism and the role of Sufism. Britain should withdraw from the Chagos Islands. British Nigerians quietly made their way to the top. Learn more about the hidden face of Cameroon’s dirty war. Islamic police raid betting shops in northern Nigeria. This is an interesting piece about how religion is shaping Ghana’s 2024 election. Trust in government is key to paying taxes. Learn more about the expanding arms trade in Africa.

Economic, political and environmental factors deepen the divide between the global north and global south. Mali’s military junta can no longer hide its security failures. Maya Misikir explains the role of Ethiopian migrants in Egypt. Abandoned African migrants in Lebanon rely on grassroots solidarity. 18 people are killed in a mass shooting in South Africa. The shootings took place at a family event in Lusikisiki village in Eastern Cape province.

What does it mean to be a good citizen in Uganda, Ghana, and Tanzania? And check out the International Crisis Group’s publications on Africa here.

Africa’s rapid urbanization

This video covers the “slums” of East Legon, Accra. Learn more about 19^th century Zanzibar. Kigali faces a severe housing shortage. Stephen Marr and Patience Mususa outline how DIY urbanism is expertise in their new book.

Research corner

Alex Thurston’s article examines Salafism and dialectics of Muslim identity in Nigeria and the Sahel. Ndongo Samba Sylla analyzes the crisis of French imperialism and the spread of military coups. Berihun Adugna Gebeye outlines legal syncretism, a new frontier in constitutional studies. Marie-Eve Desrosiers and Anne-Laure Mahé explain how local officials shaped authoritarian systems in Rwanda and Sudan. I love Alesha Porisky’s article on perceptions and practices of citizenship in Tanzania and Kenya. This is an important issue: “Publishing Africa: Infrastructures, visibility, resilience.” This article examines gender and behavioral change in rural Ethiopia.

This looks awesome: The Surface of Things: A History of Photography from the Swahili Coast. Frantz Fanon’s Wretched of the Earth is translated into Zulu—and it still matters. Ewa Atanassow writes Tocqueville’s Dilemmas and Ours: Sovereignty, Nationalism, Globalization. Visions for an African Valley: Histories of Development in Kilombero, Tanzania since 1877 is out soon. Check out Daniel Magaziner’s Available Light: Omar Badsha and the Struggle for Change in South Africa.

The week in development

Justin Sandefur is back with his critique of the Doing Business Index. Zambia will launch a sovereign wealth fund in 2025. This is why Africa’s roads are the deadliest in the world despite few cars. Ghana closes in on its long-term debt refinancing deal. This report explains the rise and fall of the Department for International Development. The fight against global led poisoning is real. Fertilizer subsidies are limited in their transformative potential. The world’s wealthiest are investing in Mauritius. Where are Africa’s most innovative startups? Are African voluntary carbon markets boom or bust?

Extractive minerals

The rise of artisanal mining offers important lessons for development. Artisinal mining continues to be a challenge in Ghana. The US accelerates its play for Africa’s minerals. DR Congo’s Glencore mine dispute involves the one and only Dan Gertler. Tanzania joins the Lobito corridor linking the Indian Ocean to the Atlantic. UAE gold refiners are suspected of handling illegally mined African gold. The article reviews mining, the SDGs, and local impacts. Meet the young Nigerians caught in the gold rush financing terrorism in the Sahel.

Africa and the environment

Charles Onyango-Obbo takes on carbon colonialism and land grabs. Things are looking up for Africa’s upside-down baobab trees. South Africa tries to wean itself off coal. Experts agree on African regional plan for health and climate change. Zambia’s Kariba Dam is causing a power crisis in the country.

Daily life

Yum: A family feast in Senegal. The NBA risks “sportswashing” human rights abuses as the league plans games in Abu Dhabi. The Celtics could protest the game. Learn about South Africa’s first interracial marriage. Meet those using dance to tell South Africa’s stories.

RIP Dikembe Mutombo. He died from brain cancer at age 58. Maasai Ujiri provides this heartfelt reflection.

All the best,

Jeff and Phil