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Violence in South Sudan is rising again: what’s different this time, and how to avoid civil war

Violence in South Sudan is rising again: what’s different this time, and how to avoid civil war

A rise in political tensions in South Sudan and an escalation of violence in the Upper Nile State have raised fears of a return to civil war in the world’s youngest nation. In early March 2025, neighbouring Uganda sent troops to South Sudan at the request of the government, and was involved in aerial bombardments. South Sudan’s opposition groups took issue with the Ugandan intervention and stopped taking part in discussions to create a joint military system in the country. These developments risk unravelling the 2018 power-sharing deal between President Salva Kiir, First Vice-President Riek Machar and other opposition leaders.…
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Ghana’s poor are the ones who suffer most from corruption: history offers some ideas about fighting back

Ghana’s poor are the ones who suffer most from corruption: history offers some ideas about fighting back

IT didn’t take long for the new government of John Mahama in Ghana to find a dramatic way to highlight its commitment to combating corruption. On 12 February 2025, his special prosecutor declared the previous finance minister a “wanted fugitive” for going abroad to evade questioning for suspected financial irregularities, before later agreeing to schedule a return. In that one move, the government of Mahama’s National Democratic Congress sounded a couple of familiar notes from past campaigns. First, the widespread graft so many Ghanaians bemoaned was largely the fault of the other party, in this case, the New Patriotic Party,…
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SA’s relocation of Taiwan’s office out of the capital in line with international law

SA’s relocation of Taiwan’s office out of the capital in line with international law

EARLIER this month, on March 5 to be specific, South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) officially updated its website, renaming the "Taipei Liaison Office" to the "Taipei Commercial Office". The significance of this move in light of bilateral relations between Pretoria and Beijing cannot be overemphasized. Taiwan, an autonomous part of China, cannot enjoy undue diplomatic standing in South Africa or anywhere in the global community. This is because Taiwan is an integral part of China, and not a "country". When the founding father of democratic SA, Nelson Mandela, came to acknowledge this factor, he instituted the…
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Athol Fugard: the great South African playwright who captured what it means to be human

Athol Fugard: the great South African playwright who captured what it means to be human

I was shocked to learn that the famous South African writer Athol Fugard had passed away. I had known his age to be 92 but somehow I never expected him to die. He was always a survivor. When I think about Fugard, the first thing that comes to mind is the first time I interviewed him in Port Elizabeth (today’s Gqeberha) in South Africa. It was for the first of three books I’ve written on his plays. I had just seen his play Boesman and Lena in London. It absolutely knocked me out with its emotional power. Boesman and Lena…
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Egypt on edge: finding a delicate balance between Gaza and Trump

Egypt on edge: finding a delicate balance between Gaza and Trump

US President Donald Trump famously called Egyptian president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi his “favourite dictator” in 2019, but their relationship has been complex. Trump’s return to the White House for a second term has sent ripples of concern through Cairo. In January 2025, Trump proposed a resolution to the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in Gaza: forcibly relocating Palestinians to Egypt and Jordan. Trump simultaneously threatened to withdraw US aid if these countries didn’t comply with the proposal. Sisi’s Egypt will need to navigate Trump’s ambition without sacrificing the regime’s own survival. May Darwich, who has studied Arab states’ foreign policies and alliances…
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Mcdonald’s controversial desks: The art of obtaining resources while avoiding corporate exploitation

Mcdonald’s controversial desks: The art of obtaining resources while avoiding corporate exploitation

SOUTH Africa’s Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube has doubled-down on her decision to distribute McDonald's branded foldable desks to two schools in Cape Town. The dual-purpose foldable desks, which double as wheelie backpacks, have been pioneered by MiDesk Global and donated by McDonald's. They were unveiled at the end of February in partnership with the Department of Basic Education. Upon reveal, the portability of the desks was underscored during their Cape Town display. However, there have been impassioned mixed reviews of the desks - particularly regarding their highly recognisable bold-red McDonald's branding. In fact, this was the basis of most…
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A power struggle in Tigray risks Ethiopia’s peace deal

A power struggle in Tigray risks Ethiopia’s peace deal

This story was originally published by The New Humanitarian.By Fred Harter More than two years after a cessation of hostilities ended a brutal civil war, Ethiopia’s Tigray region should be well along the road to recovery. Instead, its ruling Tigray People’s Liberation Front Party (TPLF) is embroiled in a bitter internal spat that has paralysed politics and sparked fears of fresh conflict. The dispute pits a faction led by TPLF chairman and wartime leader Debretsion Gebremichael against another helmed by TPLF deputy chairman, Getachew Reda, who signed the November 2022 cessation of hostilities in Pretoria and now leads the interim…
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African Union’s new chair has a long list of tough tasks – what it will take to get them done

African Union’s new chair has a long list of tough tasks – what it will take to get them done

FOLLOWING seven rounds of balloting, 60-year-old diplomat Mahmoud Ali Youssouf was elected the sixth chair of the African Union Commission in February 2025. Politics professor Ulf Engel, who is the editor of the Yearbook on the African Union, explains the role and its challenges. What’s the new AU Commission chair’s background? Youssouf is a seasoned diplomat from Djibouti. He is the longest serving minister of foreign affairs and international cooperation of his country (2005-2025), and has also served as chair of the Council of Ministers of the Arab League (2007, 2017) and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (2012). What’s the…
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Africa’s tech revolution: Unleashing innovation through youth and digital transformation

Africa’s tech revolution: Unleashing innovation through youth and digital transformation

WITH our continent's young and tech-savvy population, Africa is poised to compete globally and drive successful innovation. When you look at our continent's start-up ecosystem, fintechs continue to dominate. In recent years, the number of fintech companies in Africa has almost tripled. These enterprises, both big and small, are fundamentally reshaping our financial services sector. We see this, especially with mobile money and remittance services. According to a recent study, fintech revenues in Africa are expected to reach $40 billion by 2028. At the same time, Africa is experiencing a brain drain, with many of our skilled developers leaving our…
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Entrepreneurship as a way out of poverty? Study in rural Kenya shows why it doesn’t always work

Entrepreneurship as a way out of poverty? Study in rural Kenya shows why it doesn’t always work

INTERNATIONAL development agencies and non-governmental organisations often seek to advance community development by fostering entrepreneurship. The premise is that poor people can enhance their household incomes by establishing small businesses or by adding value to natural resources. Such programmes commonly include training and the provision of loans to enable micro-entrepreneurs to get started. But these interventions aren’t straightforward and often fail to achieve their objectives. Prior research has pointed to the fundamental economic challenges of entrepreneurship in the context of poverty. Cultural and institutional factors also play a role. Researchers have argued, for instance, that cultural norms of collectivism shape…
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