Latest Articles about Africa
Ansaru: A Profile of Nigeria’s Newest Jihadist Movement
After the death of Boko Haram founder and leader Muhammad Yusuf in July 2009, Nigerian security forces killed up to 1,000 Boko Haram members over a four-day period that month and arrested hundreds of other members in order to – in the words of then-Nigerian... MORE
China-Uganda Relations: Closer is Not Necessarily Better
The long-delayed, Chinese-funded Entebbe expressway in Uganda once again is running into delays as government funds are insufficient to compensate the citizens who will lose their land to the highway. Although construction began only last month, Entebbe claims it has only sufficient funds to buy... MORE
December 2012 Briefs
AQIM LEADERS MOKHTAR BELMOKHTAR AND ABDELMALEK DROUKDEL SPLIT Mokhtar Belmokhtar is an Algerian-born former commander of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM). In July, he was reported to have been killed or seriously injured in the battle of Gao, in which AQIM supported the Movement... MORE
France and the Prospects for Military Intervention in Mali
France has watched warily as Mali has descended into chaos after the March 22 coup d’état overthrew Amadou Toumani Touré’s government and the Islamist rebellion took control of northern Mali. [1] France threw the weight of its diplomacy behind regional efforts to restore the constitutional... MORE
The Return of War to Africa’s Great Lakes Region: Can the Revolutionary Army of the Congo Be Contained?
The seizure last week by mutinous Congolese soldiers of the city of Goma in the midst of the mineral rich Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has brought the deaths of hundreds of people and displaced hundreds of thousands of others.... MORE
Behind the Reign of Terror in Somalia: A Snapshot of al-Shabaab leader Ahmad Abdi Godane
The failed state of Somalia is home to numerous clan-based and Islamist insurgent groups. However, none of these groups compare to Harakat al-Shabaab al-mujahideen—widely known as al-Shabaab—in size, sophistication or operational capability. Despite numerous attempts to eradicate the group, al-Shabaab continues to control large swaths... MORE
November 2012 Briefs
DRONE STRIKE KILLS 2008 EMBASSY ATTACKER ADNAN AL-QADHI NEAR SANAA A drone strike on a car in a village less than 40 kilometers from the Yemeni capital, Sanaa on November 6, killed Adnan al-Qadhi and injured or killed two other men with him, Rabee Laheb... MORE
Senior Fellow Andrew McGregor interviewed on Radio France Internationale
Jamestown Senior Fellow Andrew McGregor was interviewed on Mali for Radio France Internationale.
Strategic and Tactical Shift Keeps al-Qaeda Insurgency Alive in Southern Yemen
Over the past months, a series of high-profile assassinations in Aden and the capital of Sana’a signaled a strategic shift by al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and its local affiliate, Ansar al-Shari’a. Over 60 security officials were murdered, with the latest assassination occurring in... MORE
Election Issue: Militants in Libyan Politics: A Militant Leadership Monitor Special Report
In the aftermath of the revolution and the overthrow of Moammar Gaddafi, Libya is undergoing tremendous changes. On July 7, the oil-rich North African country held its first national election in over four decades, however the emergence of regionally based militias continue to pose a... MORE