This Week in Africa

January 31, 2025

Quote of the week

“We are here in Goma to stay. We are going to continue the march until Kinshasa.” – Corneille Nangaa, head of the Congo River Alliance, a coalition of militias that includes M23

M23 rebels take control of Goma

M23, a rebel movement backed by Rwanda, took control of parts of Goma this week, but the battle for the city is far from over. The group is operating from the Serena Hotel, and is setting its sights much larger. The M23 has bigger ambitions. Paul Nantulya outlines the significance of the offensive, and how it could spark more regional conflict. Hospitals are struggling to keep up and fear of devastation ahead. Residents live in fear. The Crisis Group outlines what is needed to avoid a regional war. A humanitarian crisis is possible as civilians are at risk. This video shows the situation of people fleeing, while this one shows the scale of the siege. Follow Yousra Elbagir for updates.

The conflict presents an opportunity for Rwanda to strengthen its position in the region. Analysts emphasize Rwanda’s “occupation” of eastern Congo as the precipitating feature of the conflict. Yaw Asamoah summarizes Kagame’s role in regional conflict. Kagame responds that a ceasefire in the country is necessary, while publicly spatting with South Africa’s Ramaphosa with this message.

Here is a brief summary to the conflict. Dino Mahtani provides a useful summary thread of the international dynamics at play. Ian Wafula explains the role of foreign mercenaries. Make sure to read Jason Stearns’ The War that Doesn’t Say its Name: The Unending Conflict in the Congo for excellent analysis. In this piece, he argues that the West could easily stop the conflict by holding Rwanda to account. Filip Reyntjens suggests that the fall of Goma marks a low point in the long conflict.

Governing Mozambique

Is Venâncio Mondlane the most powerful man in Mozambique? President Daniel Chapo knows what he wants and where to go.

South African politics

Ramaphosa is putting his party first despite having to enter into a coalition government. He just signed a controversial land seizure law.

Migration and displacement

Lydia Polgreen examines the era of mass migration. This is an important dataset of World Refugee and Asylum Policies.

Struggle for rights and freedom

Ghana’s anti-LGBTQ bill is “effectively dead.” This is how the UAE profits from RSF war crimes in Sudan. The US far right is putting women and children in Africa at risk. This report examines SOF effectiveness for West Africa and beyond. Zimbabwe’s war veterans demand Mnangagwa resign.

Ana Lucia Araujo tells the story of when Brazil’s African Muslims scared the world. Maya Misikir reports on the continued human rights violations in Ethiopia. Alex Thurston recommends these books to read about Nigerian politics since 1960. Usman Abba Zanna explains the impact of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger’s exit from ECOWAS. Why does Cameroon’s Anglophone crisis persist?

Kevin Mofokeng examines democracy and governance trends across Africa in 2024.

Africa’s rapid urbanization

Check out Singumbe Muyeba’s The Homeowner Ideology: Economic (F)Utility of real property rights in four African cities. Ghana faces a severe cholera outbreak. This is cool: the urban food gardens of Khayelitsha. This article explores urban history in Kumase, Ghana through the archives.

Research corner

This new article rethinks colonial borders in Africa by focusing on precolonial states and geography in the partition of Africa. Similarly, Allison Hartnett and Mohamed Saleh examine precolonial elites and colonial redistribution of political power in Egypt. Read these articles alongside Martha Wilfahrt’s excellent book Precolonial Legacies in Postcolonial Politics.

Check out this helpful encyclopedia entry on authoritarianism in Africa. Read Patricia Funjika and Lauren Honig’s GLD Working Paper on customary courts, state institutions, and exit in Kenya, Malawi, and Zambia. Eli Rao and Susan Stokes assess income inequality and the erosion of democracy in the twenty-first century. Eleonora Guarnieri examines cultural distance and ethnic civil conflict in Africa. This article finds that campaigns to boost women’s representation work in Malawi (blog post here).

Saima Nakuti Ndahangwapo’s Defending the Investment: Rössing Uranium and the Business of Decolonisation in Namibia looks great.

Trump 2.0 and Africa

The US froze almost all foreign aid this week. Jeremy Konyndyk assesses the impact of the freeze. Lydia Namubiru explains who loses with the directive. Atul Gawande argues that it does serious damage to the world. CGD outlines these four ways to improve aid. The edict matters. Matthew Winters’ summarizes the academic research on the relationship between foreign aid and soft power. It works.

Secretary of State’s first call to the region was to Kenya’s William Ruto, demonstrating the close links. This is what Rubio’s term as secretary of state could mean for Africa. Trumps WHO and climate orders bring new opportunities and challenges for Africa and China. Cameron Hudson argues that only Trump can make peace in Sudan. The Carnegie Endowment outlines what a new US-Africa partnership could look like.

The week in development

Go inside the new plan to bring electricity to 300 million more people in Africa. Johan Fourie argues that innovation policy should be at the heart of South Africa’s G20 policy agenda. Africa in Brief provides a useful summary of economic activity for the week. How should economists think about culture? Ken Opalo asks: What explains the “ambition gap” among Africa’s ruling elites?

It is time to reframe the sustainable development goals.

Africa and the environment

How many people died in disasters in 2024? Check out the African Climate Observer. This article assesses the influence of land surface temperature on Ghana’s climate variability. It is time to prioritize national adaptation plans on the continent.

On the push to save sorghum.

Carbon offsets

There is a vibrant debate about land conservation in Africa. There is some evidence that local communities are effective at protecting wildlife and land. One popular strategy is carbon offsets, but the approach has come under criticism (as the video we included last week suggests), especially in northern Kenya. In response, the project explains how their approach works and why it considers local communities. Clearly, politics matter.

Daily life

This is fun: 36 hours in Accra. The Grammys are set to showcase some amazing African music. New leader Martin Kimani has a vision for The Africa Center. The trials and tribulations of Malian singer Rokia Traoré. Dylan Haworth tells the story of FESPACO ’85, when African filmmakers and revolutionaries united to reclaim cinema as a weapon for liberation and cultural sovereignty across the continent.

All the best,

Jeff and Phil