The Ethiopian government is dismissing the severity of its country's
food insecurity, despite millions of Ethiopians once again facing
famine. This politically motivated denial is the cause of
disproportionate suffering, argues René Lefort.
International response to pirating near the coast of Somalia has focused on a military solution to a highly complex political problem. But with government leaders ignoring the underlying causes of the crisis, do these Somali pirates represent the modern day 'Robin Hood'? By Rubrick Biegon.
The world is holding its breath that the ceasefire
between Israel and Hamas holds. Three weeks of violence killed and
injured thousands, many of them civilians. The casualties in Gaza,
however, pale in comparison with the numbers killed in Africa’s many
ongoing wars – many of which go unreported.
Extreme poverty will continue to blight
sub-Saharan Africa for another 200 years unless action to overcome it
is intensified, a new report has suggested. Reported by David Cronin.
The explosion of piracy off Somalia's coast is an attention-grabbing product of internal chaos in the Horn of Africa country - but what are the underlying causes of economic, political and humanitarian meltdown in Somalia?
The current
crisis offers a rare opportunity for Africa to advance
its interests in global affairs. It needs to make sure that it fully
exploits this opportunity. Doing so requires pragmatism, creativity,
and assertiveness — all of which exist in abundance in Africa, says Daniel Bradlow.
An eruption of war and displacement in east Africa is rooted in historical land tension, a dense ethnic mixture, and the Rwandan government's belief that the area remains a 'mineral mother-lode waiting to be exploited'. But are the DR Congo and Rwanda on the verge of civil war? By Gerard Prunier.