This Week in Africa

May 17, 2024

Quote of the week

“[William] Ruto has largely struggled to deliver on his promises of a radical economic transformation benefitting poor Kenyans.” – Nairobi-based economist Anderson Njuki

Sudan’s civil war

The US issued sanctions on two RSF field commanders committing atrocities in Darfur. Scorched earth tactics intensify in Sudan as 200 villages have been hit by fires. Human Rights Watch warns of ethnic cleansing in West Darfur. A genocidal massacre is looming in the region and demands international attention and accountability.

Governing South Africa

South Africa’s economy is in deep trouble, and its unemployment rate hit record highs. President Ramaphosa will approve universal health insurance prior to elections. Sarah Brierley and Dan de Kadt explain the political party funding act. Can Jacob Zuma emerge as kingmaker in South Africa’s election?

Listen to this podcast: The Mandela Effect. Albert Luthuli’s death in 1967 will be re-examined. This documentary explores crime and punishment in the country. Read the forthcoming The South African Tradition of Racial Capitalism for broader perspective.

Ruto’s US visit

Biden hosts Kenyan president William Ruto as disillusion grows at home. Recent floods devastated poor Kenyans and they are angry at the government’s response. CSIS outlines what is at stake in the visit.

Peace in the Sahel

Ken Opalo discusses how to build lasting peace in the Sahel. Russia has tightened its control over the Sahel, and looks to expand. A new report accuses Burkina Faso’s military of massacring citizens. Burkinabe military rulers announce consultations for transition to civilian rule. Could Ghana be Jihadists’ next target?

Ghana’s presidential election

Watch this roundtable on Ghana Decides 2024. Who will make a pledge to Ghana’s democracy?

Struggle for rights and freedom

This is why communal conflict should be understood as a wartime phenomenon. People are excited about Senegal’s new president, but Marame Gueye argues that he seems to embody retrograde views about women. The “elections” in Togo were a demoralizing charade. Cote d’Ivoire’s former president Laurent Gbagbo gets nod from his party to seek reelection.

Senegal buys back library of poet-president Léopold Senghor from France. An era of newsroom raids and banned newspapers is slowly easing in Tanzania. Chad’s opposition petitions the Constitutional Court to cancel presidential election results. Tanzania has few women in leadership and candidate lists. This is a neat report on the local dynamics of everyday digital peacebuilding in Africa. The Afrobarometer reports that digital media grows, but so do generational divides. This project explores the lives and struggles of the LGBTQ+ community in Angola. Alice Evans explains the shift in gender rights in Sudan, with insights from A History of the Muslim World by Michael Cook. And take a look at the Democracy Delivered newsletter.

African international relations

Niger’s leader is frustrated with the US. Timber smuggling to China fuels Mozambique’s insurgency. A new attack in Cabo Delgado highlights the precarity of the region. This article explains the shift from peacekeeping missions to global peacekeeping assemblages.

Africa’s rapid urbanization

Urban Slums and Circular Economy Synergies in the Global South looks good. There are some good articles in this special issue on public space and placemaking in African cities, including this piece on Khartoum. Sylvia Croese and Astrid Wood outline the state of African Urban Studies. New research shows how land intersects with connectivity in urban Africa. I can’t wait for Claudia Gastrow’s new book The Aesthetics of Belonging: Indigenous Urbanism and City Building in Oil-Boom Luanda.

Solidarity with residents facing forced evictions in Nairobi. The Lagos train offers a new metaphor for social stratification. Floods have wrecked parts of Bujumbura, Burundi. Freetown is holding engagement sessions with 4,800 residents in groups of 100 across 48 communities.

Research corner

This article examines archive history in Zambia as a history of loss. Traditional institutions can help restore democracy in Africa. African women migration researchers take on the question of reflexivity. Learn more about fairtrade wine in South Africa. This article examines the criminalization of Eritrean migrants’ communities of care. Learn more about chiefs and pre-election violence in Africa. This is neat: geopolitics in the marshlands of South Sudan. There are some good articles on race politics and colonial legacies here. Tanja Hendricks discusses data, disaster, and disquietude in ethnography in Malawi.

Read this: The Abiy Project: God, Power, and War in the New Ethiopia. The Nigerian edition of Portia Roelofs’ Good Governance in Nigeria is very cool.

Check out the new Political Settlements Dataset and the critical infrastructure dataset.

The week in development

How to unlock Africa’s development potential. Cuts to Swedish aid are undoing decades of relationship building with researchers and policymakers in the Global South. Meet the man behind One Acre Fund. These are Africa’s fastest growing companies in 2024. This article examines the shift to a service economy in developing countries. Damage to undersea cables have affected East Africa Internet connectivity, stirring new fears over vulnerabilities. American Express rolls out new credit cards in Nigeria. Ghana plans to leverage Fintech to spur small-sized companies. East African nations are trading with neighbors at growing rates. What is the cost of the Gulf’s booming business in Africa? Are African prices too high? What role do Special Economic Zones play in African trade?

The Emergent Ventures Africa and the Caribbean grants are funding some neat projects.

Minerals and extraction

The White House plans to ease sanctions in the DR Congo, allowing billionaire Dan Gertler to cash out his investments in the country. DR Congo accuses the M23 of exploiting coltan.

Africa and the environment

Heavy rains and floods affect more than one million people in east Africa and the Horn of Africa. More than 50 people were killed near Mai Mahiu town in Kenya. More resources are needed for early warning systems. Lake Malawi’s beaches are disappearing. Read this global roadmap for achieving SDG 2. US and Russia are vying for the contract to build Ghana’s nuclear energy plant.

Geologists investigate huge cracks and earth movements in Nakuru, Kenya. Local communities are restoring Madagascar’s baobab forests. Food shortages and malnutrition reach levels in west and central Africa. Africa’s lush forests face fire threats. What’s stalling Africa’s transition to electric vehicles?

Degrowth, green growth, and climate justice for Africa.

Daily life

Senghor’s house in Dakar has seen better days. Climbing higher but going under. Maputo, that is all. Wow, Mogadishu’s fish. Constructing Dakar. OMG, yum!

The language of exile.

All the best,

Jeff and Phil