THOUGHT LEADERSHIP - The African Mirror

Feb

14

2026

Sudan’s latest peace plan: what’s in it and does it stand a chance?

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

US president Donald Trump’s advisor on Arab and African Affairs, Massad Boulos, announced in February 2026 that Washington and three Middle East states – Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates (collectively known as the Quad) – were close to finalising a detailed initiative aimed at ending Sudan’s war. The plan resembled the roadmap shared by the Quad in September 2025. According to Boulos, the proposal had received preliminary approval from the two warring parties in the civil war: Sudan’s Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Civil war erupted in the country in mid-April 2023 over…

Feb

13

2026

By The African Mirror

“My son was shot”: The unseen warriors fighting South Africa’s battle against corruption

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

THE auditorium at the Bridgette Mabandla Justice College in Pretoria fell silent as Nomsa Masuku's voice cracked. Her hands trembled slightly as she recounted the moment that changed everything - the day her son was shot, the day a bullet meant for her instead shattered his spine and left him fighting to walk again. This is the price of integrity in South Africa. This is what it costs to stand between corruption and justice. But here's what makes this story even more chilling, more grotesque, more symptomatic of the rot eating away at the nation's foundation: the people who shot…

Feb

12

2026

By The African Mirror

TRIBUTE TO VATSONGA QUEEN

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

"It's not for girls, it's for boys."These were the words young Tinyiko heard throughout her childhood.But she would spend her life proving them wrong. SOUTH Africa mourns the loss of a true giant among women, a trailblazer who shattered centuries-old traditions and rewrote the narrative of African leadership. Her Royal Highness Hosi Phylia Tinyiko Lwandlamuni Nwamitwa II did not merely break through the glass ceiling—she demolished it with the force of her conviction, the power of her intellect, and the unwavering courage of her spirit. At 85 years of age, Hosi Nwamitwa leaves behind a legacy that will echo through…

Feb

11

2026

By ABENA KYERE

Clergy wives in Ghana can be powerful – but it takes constant bargaining with men

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

THERE is a story in the Bible of a sick woman who held on to the cloak of Jesus amid an impenetrable crowd. She did get her healing, as Jesus immediately felt the loss of power from within himself. However, he did not rebuke the woman for his loss. Rather, he commended her for her determination to get healing by tapping into his power. I am reminded of this story whenever I think about women and religion, specifically Christianity. Can the church as a body ever make room for women in Africa? Are the fathers of the church willing to…

Feb

09

2026

By ABBEY MAKOE

SA must join us, Morocco and others in securing Western Sahara peace deal

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

THE Trump administration is moving with turbo-charged speed to settle the Western Sahara conflict. In that expeditious US venture, there are bound to be winners and losers. South Africa, a long-standing backer of the Western Sahara people's fight for independence, appears to be caught between a rock and a hard place. SA has historically aligned itself with Algeria on the issue of Western Sahara, with both countries believing that international recognition of Western Sahara's independence from Morocco would be the ultimate prize. Other nations engaged in the Western Sahara issue can be found around the Sahel region. Mauritania is a…

Feb

07

2026

By JOVIAL RANTAO

When the President shows you he sees monkeys: Trump’s racist post isn’t just wrong – it’s a national disgrace

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

LET’S not mince words: When the President of the United States posts an image depicting Barack and Michelle Obama - America's first Black president and first lady - as monkeys, he's not just crossing a line. He's taking a flamethrower to it, dancing on the ashes, and dragging the nation back to the darkest chapters of its history. This isn't a "controversy." It's not a "misstep" or "poor judgment." This is naked, unvarnished racism of the variety that belonged to the plantation era, not the Oval Office. And the silence from Republicans in response isn't just cowardice - it's complicity.…

Feb

05

2026

By The African Mirror

On the road to DR Congo’s Uvira, a peace deal cooked up in Washington shows its true face

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

I took the road from Kamanyola to Uvira in mid-December, a few days after the signatures had dried in Washington. On paper, peace had returned to my region in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. Presidents had shaken hands, cameras had flashed, and Donald Trump had declared another war resolved. Yet every kilometre of the road ahead told a different story. It carried the smell of gunpowder and death, and the signs of people who had fled in desperation. It showed how words spoken from above dissolve the moment they reach the ground. This story was originally published by…

Feb

02

2026

By JOVIAL RANTAO

A VOICE THAT ECHOES FOREVER: In Memory of Dr Diana Ferrus

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

WHO speaks for the poet when they pass on? Who finds the words to eloquently paint their time on earth and aptly put together a portrait of their lives - the legacy of their time? Dr Diana Ferrus had a gift, an amazing gift. She had a way with words and used words as a weapon in the decades-long war against apartheid. She was born at the height of the evil system and watched it collapse. Her words powerfully and colourfully captured the demise of a system designed to discriminate against South Africans who are not white. On Friday, 30…

Jan

31

2026

By JOVIAL RANTAO

The leopard’s spots: How Captain Traore’s democratic disguise is finally slipping in Burkina Faso

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

WELL, well, well. Who could have possibly seen this coming? Captain Ibrahim Traore - the social media-savvy saviour who swept into power in September 2022, promising to rescue Burkina Faso from the clutches of a government "not acting in the interest of the people”, has finally decided to drop the charade. And what a performance it's been. For those keeping score at home, Traore's latest move is dissolving all political parties in Burkina Faso. Yes, you read that correctly. All of them. Over 100 political parties - poof! - gone with a stroke of a ministerial pen. Their crime? According…

Jan

31

2026

By NADINE BIEHLER; EMMA LANDMESSER, and REBECCA MAJEWSKI

African migration: focusing on Europe misses the point – most people move within the continent

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

IMAGES of rubber dinghies overcrowded with refugees heading for Europe and narratives about mistreatment and exploitation of migrants on unsafe migration routes have come to dominate how African migration is perceived in European public and policy debates. They suggest a continent on the move, driven mainly by conflict and heading to the global north. These narratives are deeply misleading. Nevertheless, they shape public opinion and political decision-making. Fears of large-scale migration from Africa to Europe are exaggerated. Data shows migration from Africa has been growing, but more slowly compared to growth rates of migration worldwide – and largely takes place…