insert_link Africa Women victimised by RSF in Sudan conflict Several women have taken their lives after being raped by paramilitary fighters during the civil war in Sudan's Gezira state. According to the BBC, the Rapid Support Forces continue their advance in the territory but RSF has denied UN accusations linking them to increased sexual violence, claiming the allegations are unsupported. The head of the UN World Food Programme, Cindy McCain visited the aid hub in Port Sudan this week […] todayOctober 31, 2024 2
insert_link Africa How militia groups capture states and ruin countries: the case of Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces By Federico Manfredi Firmian, Sciences Po The rise of Sudan’s most notorious paramilitary group, the Rapid Support Forces, shows how armed groups can infiltrate state institutions – often with disastrous results for society. Sudan’s central government created the Rapid Support Forces in 2013 as dictator Omar al-Bashir’s private protection detail. The group has now become a predator seeking to gain control of Sudan. Sudan’s war […] todayJuly 18, 2024 7
insert_link Africa Sudan warring sides using starvation as weapon: UN experts Both sides in Sudan's brutal civil war are using starvation as a weapon of war, UN experts said Wednesday, charging that foreign governments providing them military support were "complicit" in war crimes. War has raged for more than a year between the regular military (SAF) under army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) led by his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo. […] todayJune 26, 2024 16
insert_link Africa Iran’s intervention in Sudan’s civil war advances its geopolitical goals − but not without risks Members of the Sudanese Armed Forces on Aug. 14, 2023. AFP via Getty Images By Eric Lob, Florida International University Iran’s role in funding and arming proxy groups in the Middle East has been well documented and has gotten extra attention since the Hamas-led attack in Israel in October 2023. Similarly, Tehran’s arms shipments to Russia are well known and have prompted complaints and sanctions from the West. But […] todayMay 29, 2024 29
insert_link Africa Sudan’s descent into chaos sets stage for al-Qaida to make a return to historic stronghold By Sara Harmouch, American University “Sudan’s moment has come; chaos is our chance to sow the seeds of jihad,” warned Abu Hudhaifa al-Sudani, a high-ranking al-Qaida leader, in an October 2022 manifesto. His words may have seemed premature at the time, but a year of brutal civil war has now plunged Sudan into the kind of chaos in which terrorist groups thrive. The risk of […] todayMay 14, 2024 16
insert_link Africa M23 seizes key mining town in the DRC A town at the heart of mining coltan, a key ingredient in making mobile phones, has been seized in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo by rebel forces, their spokesperson Willy Ngoma has said. The BBC reports that Rubaya fell into the hands of M23 fighters on Tuesday following heavy clashes with government troops. The DRC’s government has not yet commented, but a civil society activist confirmed that M23 had captured […] todayMay 2, 2024 15
insert_link Africa Sudan’s civil war is rooted in its historical favouritism of Arab and Islamic identity By Hamdy A. Hassan, Zayed University The current civil war in Sudan goes beyond a simple power struggle between two generals. It reflects a deep-rooted crisis within the country’s governing structure that’s been present since it gained independence from the British in 1956. Since independence, the Sudanese have experienced 35 coups and attempted coups, more than any other African country. In the country’s southern region a 56-year […] todayApril 29, 2024 5
insert_link South Africa How the Mandela myth helped win the battle for democracy in South Africa By Jonny Steinberg, Yale University Political history scholar Jonny Steinberg’s 2023 book Winnie & Nelson: Portrait of a Marriage is a double biography of South Africa’s most famous political figures – Nelson Mandela and Winnie Madikizela Mandela – and their role in the country’s struggle for democracy. It’s also a book that shatters countless myths about the couple and the liberation struggle that have been formed in popular […] todayApril 29, 2024 21
insert_link World How Haiti became a failed state By Nicolas Forsans, University of Essex The US military started airlifting embassy staff out of Haiti overnight as the Caribbean island descends further into chaos. Rival gangs have joined forces to overrun the country’s capital, Port-au-Prince, in an attempt to force the resignation of the acting president, Ariel Henry. The gang leader behind the violence, Jimmy “Barbecue” Chérizier, has warned there will be a “civil war that […] todayMarch 11, 2024 28