SPECIAL FEATURES - The African Mirror

Oct

04

2024

Sudan at war: the art of peace talks and why they often fail

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

HIGH-LEVEL peace talks took place in August 2024 to negotiate a much-needed ceasefire in Sudan. Unfortunately, nothing tangible came out of the talks held in Switzerland and co-hosted by the US and Saudi Arabia. There have been previous efforts to bring Sudan’s main warring parties – the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces – to the negotiating table and stop the war. A major effort in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, negotiated short-lived ceasefires a month into the start of the April 2023 conflict but registered few other successes. In the meantime, the fighting continues. Eleven million people, out…

Sep

30

2024

By RAMOS EMMANUEL MABUGU and EDDIE RAKABE

South Africa’s municipalities aren’t fixing roads, supplying clean water or keeping the lights on: new study explains why

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

SOUTH Africa has a massive infrastructure problem. Roads, electricity supply and water management are just three areas in which there is mounting evidence of collapse and decay. This is true for big cities like Johannesburg as well as small towns and rural areas. This is a problem because infrastructure like this has huge economic benefits. Having water and electricity enables firms to run smoothly. Local roads improve mobility and access to markets. A study by South Africa’s Financial and Fiscal Commission in 2018 showed that infrastructure spending had a statistically significant positive impact on local employment and economic growth. Responsibility…

Sep

28

2024

By AMANDA GOUWS

South African women face exclusion from society due to gender-based violence – how they’re fighting back

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

WHEN South Africa became a democracy in 1994, a primary goal was to grant citizenship rights to all its people, in particular, to give the majority of black South Africans rights they had been denied during colonialism and apartheid. This included the right to vote. Apartheid segregated the population into ethnic groups. All but people classified as white were stripped of their rights. The 1996 constitution conferred upon citizens civil liberties such as the right to vote, movement, association and free speech as well as substantive rights such as access to land, health, education and employment. But, as I argue…

Sep

26

2024

By CLAUDE SENGENYA

In DR Congo’s Beni region, departing peacekeepers leave a trail of abuse and anger

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

This story was originally published by The New Humanitarian. By Claude Sengenya On the side of a national road, at the entrance to the town of Mavivi, in the region of Beni, is an imposing UN base topped with barbed wire and painted in blue and white. Inside are peacekeepers from half a dozen countries around the world. Well-armed and wearing their customary blue helmets, the troops are tasked with defending civilians in a restive part of the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. Yet just a few kilometres down the road, civilians say they are feeling far from protected.…

Sep

25

2024

By ANTHONI VAN NIEUWKERK

UN security council: African countries face hurdles and dangers in getting permanent seats

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

THERE is growing global consensus among the members of the United Nations that the UN Security Council, responsible for maintaining international peace and security, requires reform or restructuring to reflect the current balance of forces, and to improve its working methods and ability to do its work. There is also growing consensus among members of the African Union that Africa deserves a permanent presence at the council. The debate took a new turn on 13 September, when the US announced it would support the creation of two new permanent seats for African countries, and a non-permanent seat for small island…

Sep

24

2024

By HOOLO 'NYANE

Lesotho needs constitutional reforms to help gain political stability – but the latest attempt is flawed

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

LESOTHO, a small country landlocked by South Africa, has been struggling to make constitutional reforms since the advent of coalition politics in 2012. It needs reforms to address political instability which has been a feature of the country for more than five decades. The judiciary, security agencies and civil service have been politicised, resulting in the institutions being abused for political ends, stoking recurrent instability. The reform project has encountered many headwinds. High government turnover amid unstable governing coalitions, the reform processes being declared invalid numerous times by the judiciary, and a sheer lack of political will are just a…

Sep

20

2024

By The African Mirror

Lithium mining in Zimbabwe: a story of loss for one community

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

LITHIUM is an essential component of electric vehicle batteries, which are becoming more important as the world moves to a low-carbon energy future. Large deposits of lithium exist in Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Bolivia, Canada, the US, Australia, Portugal, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Ghana. Zimbabwe is the largest producer of lithium in Africa and the ninth largest in the world. The Zimbabwean government promotes mining to stimulate socio-economic development. But new lithium mining has had devastating environmental and social effects. One of them is that communities have been displaced from their ancestral land. I am a social scientist who conducts research on…

Sep

19

2024

By MOINA SPOONER

Four ways Africa is already seeing the effects of climate change – and what can be done about it

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

AFRICA is already being heavily affected by climate change. Between 1991 and 2023, the African continent warmed at a rate of 0.3°C per decade, a rate slightly faster than the global average. This has brought more frequent and severe weather extremes. The cost of adapting to these changes and events is also immense. This was emphasised in a recent report by the World Meteorological Organization. The UN agency found that, on average, African countries were losing 2%-5% of their GDP – a measure of economic output – annually and many were diverting up to 9% of their budgets in response…

Sep

17

2024

By IFEDOTUN AINA and OPEYEMI AYINDE

Nigerian farmers lack insurance: payouts triggered by weather data offer a solution

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

AGRICULTURE is hugely important to Nigeria. It makes up about a quarter of the country’s economy, and almost half of the population are smallholder farmers. Most farm on less than 10 hectares of land. It can be a tough way to make a living. Smallholder farmers in Nigeria regularly lose crops and livestock to floods and droughts. For instance, Nigeria lost over 1.7 million metric tonnes of grain to drought in 2021. Extreme weather events can devastate farmer families for a long time because agriculture is their main source of income. But research shows that up to 82.7% of Nigeria’s…

Sep

14

2024

By OBI ANYADIKE

Dadaab Voices: Kenya’s flagship refugee plan marred by lack of consultation

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

This story was originally published by The New Humanitarian. By Obi Anyadike THE Kenyan government has announced a plan that could transform the lives of the more than 670,000 refugees sheltering in the country – ending a three-decade-old policy that has forced them to remain in isolated, overcrowded, and chronically underfunded camps. Launched with fanfare last year, the Shirika plan aims to turn the country’s two huge camp complexes – Dadaab and Kakuma – into self-reliant integrated settlements, allowing refugees and host communities to live and work side by side, both benefiting from government services. But while the vision of…