African Arguments
Tuesday, November 12, 2013 - 07:59
On November 13, two Subcommittees in the US House of Representatives – Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations and the Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade – will hold a joint hearing to discuss the threat posed by Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad, better known as Boko Haram. In the wake of persistent and heinous attacks on civilians perpetrated by its militants, most recently an attack on a wedding party claiming 30 lives, Congress looks poised to propose legislation compelling the US State Department to label Boko Haram as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO). When debating this legislation Congress should be asking not if Boko Haram is a terrorist organization, but does this legislation contribute to promoting human rights and security in North-East Nigeria?
Tuesday, November 5, 2013 - 08:52
Finally, Madagascar voted. October 25th marked the first election since the devastating 2009 coup froze the island’s political and economic growth. For the last four and a half years, the Malagasy people have been mired in economic stagnation and political uncertainty. The first round vote has been hailed as a “free, transparent, and credible,” (UN) election that “reflects the will of the people” (SADC). These pronouncements, which came almost immediately after polls closed, offer a hopeful view of the country’s prospects. The overwhelming theme of the initial post-vote news cycle has been: “The Malagasy people have finally brought democracy back to Madagascar.”
Tuesday, November 5, 2013 - 08:45
This is a crucial moment for the International Criminal Court. If it drops the ball or the UN Security Council (UNSC) kicks the Kenyan cases into the long grass, the ICC is finished. At present the Court has agreed – reluctantly – to a postponement of the cases against President Uhuru Kenyatta and Vice-President William Ruto until February. Interestingly it has done so because the prosecutors did not object – they wanted more time to present witnesses. The Court did not believe that Kenyatta’s presidential duties were a reason to delay the trial.
Tuesday, November 5, 2013 - 08:43
Eastern Congo and North Kivu in particular, are currently going through an intense and decisive period. In less than a week, the Congolese army (FARDC) has re-conquered the towns until recently controlled by M23.
Thursday, October 31, 2013 - 08:13
The on-going process of a “unilateral” referendum for Abyei has suffered condemnation by all stakeholders including the government of South Sudan. However, this ‘community referendum’, as christened by the Ngok Dinka, raises serious questions regarding the complexities in the Abyei protocol, giving no options for the Ngok people but to be at odds with regional and international bodies.
Thursday, October 31, 2013 - 08:05
The first round of Madagascar’s presidential elections on 25 October was a momentous occasion: the polls were the first since a coup in March 2009 when Andry Rajoelina overthrew President Marc Ravalomanana. That they happened at all is remarkable after so many false starts, but that they happened without incidents is more than most people hoped for.
Tuesday, October 29, 2013 - 11:06
Was Harry Lime, the evil anti-hero of Graham Greene’s novel The Third Man, right? Does human progress require violence and cruelty to drive it? Some argue that the two world wars generated a huge amount of scientific research that gave us the benefits far quicker than peace would have done.
Friday, October 25, 2013 - 09:25
Jacob Zenn is an analyst of African Affairs for The Jamestown Foundation focusing on radical groups in Northern Nigeria and a Policy Advisor for the Nigerian-American Leadership Council working to leverage the diaspora community to tackle security and accountability problems in Nigeria. We met in London to discuss the current trajectory of militancy in the region.
Tuesday, October 15, 2013 - 07:52
The insurgency in Nigeria’s North Eastern corner has once more brought into sharp relief the precarious balance between life and death in the region. Scores of people are killed on a daily basis and the frequency has also ensured a sense of ‘tragedy fatigue’ amongst the country’s populace.
Tuesday, October 15, 2013 - 07:50
Boko Haram’s recent, deadly attack on the agricultural college in Gujba, Yobe State has raised some difficult and urgent questions for the Nigerian federal authorities and international community. The most pressing – how and why did this happen – quickly give way to more substantive concerns about the efficacy of the security forces and their counter-terrorism campaign.