THOUGHT LEADERSHIP - The African Mirror

Jan

23

2026

Tanzania’s president raised hopes for women’s political representation – the 2025 elections show much remains to be done

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

PRESIDENT Samia Suluhu Hassan’s historic rise as Tanzania’s first woman head of state broke a decades-old tradition of male dominance. In keeping with political precedent, she also became chairperson of the ruling Chama cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party. That made Hassan the first woman to hold this position. For decades, women’s representation in Tanzania’s parliament has relied heavily on reserved quota seats rather than direct electoral success. With a woman as president, women’s rights organisations held high expectations for reforms that would dismantle systemic barriers to women’s political participation. The reform priorities they championed included defined gender representation in party leadership.…

Jan

22

2026

By ABBEY MAKOE

UN Resolution 2797 causes ANC to rethink strategy for Western Sahara

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

IN a frank conversation, renowned political analyst Professor Sipho Seepe offers interesting food for thought on the ANC's foreign policy stance regarding Western Sahara. "The ANC should not confuse sovereignty with self-determination. Nations have been able to create self-determining regions within one sovereign state," he says, before adding: "Canada, for instance, is composed of English and French-speaking regions. However, Canadians have been able to rise above regional identities to forge a spirit of patriotism in support of their nation." Prof Seepe's advice comes amid a globalised world of interconnected political discourse, characterised by old parties such as the ANC facing…

Jan

21

2026

By ONYEDIKACHI MADUEKE

Nigeria’s former election umpire has been appointed an ambassador: why this is a red flag

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

THE Nigerian Senate confirmed the appointment of the immediate past chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as an ambassador in December 2025. This has resurfaced concerns about electoral integrity in the country. Mahmood Yakubu stepped down as head of the electoral commission just three months prior to the ambassadorial appointment. As a political scientist with published research on the electoral commission and electoral integrity in Nigeria, I argue that even though the president has a right to make the appointment under Section 171 of the constitution, it is still troubling. There are a number of reasons. Firstly, it…

Jan

20

2026

By ALEMAYEHU WELDEMARIAM

Israel’s recognition of Somaliland is about political alliances, not legal principles

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

ISRAEL’S decision to recognise Somaliland as an independent nation has been described as historic by Somaliland’s president, Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi. He framed the December 2025 declaration as the first decisive breach in the wall of diplomatic isolation that has surrounded Somaliland for more than three decades. Somaliland has operated as a fully functional de facto state with defined territory, population and government since declaring independence from Somalia in 1991. But it lacks international recognition. This would allow it full participation in the global community, such as membership in the United Nations, as well as boosting its economic opportunities. I am…

Jan

19

2026

By JOVIAL RANTAO

The stolen mandate: Uganda’s democracy dies in broad daylight

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

ANOTHER election, another charade. As Yoweri Museveni claims victory once more, the world watches Uganda's descent into authoritarian permanence. The script never changes in Uganda - only the faces of those brave enough to resist it. As Yoweri Museveni begins yet another term as president, extending his grip on power to nearly four decades, the world has witnessed not an election but a carefully choreographed performance of democratic theatre. The outcome was never in doubt. The process was never legitimate. And the cost, as always, is borne by ordinary Ugandans whose voices are crushed beneath the machinery of state-sponsored repression.…

Jan

16

2026

By EVELYN NAMAKULA MAYANJA

Uganda’s autocratic political system is failing its people – and threatens the region

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

WHEN he was first sworn in as Uganda’s president in 1986, Yoweri Museveni declared that his victory represented a “fundamental change”. He promised that Ugandans would no longer die at the hands of fellow citizens. He also criticised African leaders who sought international prestige while their people lacked food, healthcare and dignity. In his books Sowing the Mustard Seed (published in 1997) and What Is Africa’s Problem? (2000), Museveni condemned leaders who overstayed in power. Now nearly four decades into his rule, Uganda’s promised democratic renewal has been replaced by increasingly autocratic governance. Once the liberator, Museveni has become the…

Jan

16

2026

By WILLIAM GOURLAY

Another war in the Horn of Africa would be disastrous for one of the world’s most repressive nations

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

THE geopolitical temperature is rising in the Red Sea. Ethiopia is threatening Eritrea, its diminutive neighbour, making a claim on the Eritrean port of Assab. Ethiopian President Abiy Ahmed recently remarked that regaining Red Sea access would correct a “historical mistake” and address an “existential question” for landlocked Ethiopia. Eritrea’s Information Minister Yemane Gebremeskel snapped back, accusing Ethiopia of irredentism and fomenting “an unjustified war”. Public responses were muted on the streets of Asmara, the Eritrean capital, where I recently visited. The media is entirely government-controlled, so it is possible that few Asmarinos were aware of these developments. And while…

Jan

15

2026

By MAHMOOD MAMDANI

The making and breaking of Uganda: an interview with scholar Mahmood Mamdani

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

IN his latest book, Slow Poison: Idi Amin, Yoweri Museveni, and the Making of the Ugandan State, anthropologist Mahmood Mamdani explains the factors and characters – Idi Amin and Yoweri Museveni – that shaped post-independence Uganda. As he explains to The Conversation Africa, there are striking differences between the two men. Museveni has been in office for almost four decades. Amin lasted eight years. What explains Museveni’s endurance? I try to explain in the book some of the most important reasons Museveni has lasted for more than four decades. I think these reasons are both internal and external. The internal…

Jan

14

2026

By VUSI MAVIMBELA

Sunbeam, Pantyhose and the loss of pride as well as dignity

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

PROFESSOR Busani Ngcaweni uploaded a Facebook post where he laments the deterioration and squalor of iNanda, the hometown of his youth in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. He wittily titled the post, ‘Sunbeam and Pantyhose: iNanda and the Loss of Dignity’. In our youth, even in the midst of social deprivation and Apartheid, Sunbeam polish and a pantyhose were essential elements in keeping the concrete floor of the house and the veranda shining and squeaky clean. It seems today there is lamentation everywhere as we witness the mess we have allowed to set in and multiply. We have abandoned even…

Jan

10

2026

By ALAMALDEEN ISMAIL

“I volunteer because I love my people”: On the ground with Darfur’s mutual aid volunteers

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

MUTUAL aid remains at the heart of Sudan’s humanitarian response, and nowhere more so than in the western Darfur region, where the paramilitary-turned-rebel Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has carried out some of the conflict’s worst abuses to date, displacing millions of people. https://youtu.be/yRonhgYXP88?si=WthnlRYewYe1JFnz To document these grassroots efforts, Darfuri videographer Alamaldeen Ismail travelled in August 2025 to the border town of Tina, where he met displaced families and members of emergency response rooms – decentralised, neighbourhood-based groups delivering much of the lifesaving local aid. Like many towns in Darfur, Tina has received large numbers of people fleeing RSF atrocities in…