Latest Articles about Africa
Electronic Jihad in Nigeria: How Boko Haram Is Using Social Media
While many jihadist groups have shown themselves adept at using social media to further their propaganda efforts, Boko Haram arrived late to the game. In 2010, the year then Boko Haram leader Abubakr Shekau declared jihad, one Boko Haram member even posted on the Ansar... MORE
The Unlikely Rebel: A Profile of Darfur’s Zaghawa Rebel Leader Minni Minawi
The career of Sulayman Arcua Minawi (better known as “Minni Minawi”) is the story of how a primary school teacher in a remote corner of northern Africa parlayed an ability to read and write and a previously hidden penchant for ruthlessness into his appointment in... MORE
Will Khartoum’s Appeal to Putin for Arms and Protection Bring Russian Naval Bases to the Red Sea?
Though Sudan’s national economy is near collapse, the November 23 visit of Sudan’s president Omar al-Bashir to Russia’s top leadership in Sochi was dominated by expensive arms purchases and Sudan’s appeal to Russia for “protection from aggressive actions by the United States” (TASS, November 23;... MORE
From Sochi to the Sahel: Russia’s Expanding Footprint
Like New York City, Russian diplomacy seemingly never sleeps. Last week, President Vladimir Putin conducted a series of mini summits in Sochi on consolidating a postwar order in Syria and about taking a giant step forward in Sudan. During Putin’s first meetings on Syria, on... MORE
Briefs
Mauritania: Blasphemy Case Raises Islamist Ire Mauritania’s efforts to curtail Islamist extremism have seen success in recent years, but protesters calling for a blogger to be put to death for allegedly insulting the Prophet Mohammed show that tensions continue to simmer. The blogger in question,... MORE
One Belt One Road and East Africa: Beyond Chinese Influence
In October the Chinese Communist Party enshrined Xi Jinping’s “One Belt, One Road Initiative” (OBOR) in its constitution. The move again demonstrates how the sweeping plan linking China and Europe via land and sea routes now is at the heart of China’s foreign policy and... MORE
Islamic State in Libya Emir Abdel Qader al-Najdi Returns From the Dead
On September 28, Sadiq al-Sour, head of investigations for the Libyan attorney general’s office in Tripoli, held a press conference in the Libyan capital providing fresh information regarding the recent reorganization of Islamic State (IS) in Libya (al-Jarida, September 28). The group, which was dislodged... MORE
How Kenya’s Failure to Contain an Islamist Insurgency is Threatening Regional Prosperity
Life in parts of Kenya’s traditionally Muslim coastal region has become a nightmare of beheadings and midnight raids by masked assailants, compounded by the ineptitude of local security forces. In Lamu County, a historic center of Swahili culture, growing ethnic and religious tensions have proved... MORE
Sudan’s Controversial Rapid Support Forces Bolster Saudi Efforts in Yemen
In late September, the military leader of Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), General Muhammad Hamdan Daqlu (a.k.a. “Hametti”), unintentionally sparked controversy by announcing that 412 Sudanese soldiers had been killed in the war in Yemen, a figure of which most Sudanese people were wholly unaware... MORE
