insert_link Opinion Pieces Wagner Group is now Africa Corps. What this means for Russia’s operations on the continent By Alessandro Arduino, King's College London In August 2023, Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin died after his private jet crashed about an hour after taking off in Moscow. He had been Russia’s pointman in Africa since the Wagner Group began operating on the continent in 2017. The group is known for deploying paramilitary forces, running disinformation campaigns and propping up influential political leaders. It has had a […] todayFebruary 16, 2024 8
insert_link Africa UN Security Council worried over rising violence in the Congo The United Nations Security Council is concerned about the escalating violence in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. Clashes have intensified recently between the M23 rebels and the country’s army. The M23 is one of dozens of armed groups that have long plagued the country’s mineral-rich east, battling for control of land there. Guyana ambassador, Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett. todayFebruary 13, 2024 30
insert_link Business / Economics Frustrated by tedious and unproductive meetings? These 2 proven strategies can help teams work smarter By Katharina Naswall, University of Canterbury and Sanna Malinen, University of Canterbury Most workers will be familiar with this scene: a meeting that goes round and round on a topic – one that may not be important to the priorities of the company. People leave the meeting frustrated and unheard. And the whole experience is repeated the next time everyone meets. But does this have to be […] todayFebruary 8, 2024 15
insert_link World Gaza: high numbers of journalists are being killed but it’s hard to prove they’re being targeted By Colleen Murrell, Dublin City University Wael Dahdouh, one of the most well-known faces of Palestinian journalism in the Gaza conflict, has this week started medical treatment in Qatar. Dahdouh was wounded in December in an Israeli drone strike that killed his camera operator. Al-Jazeera’s Gaza bureau chief has also lost his wife, two children and a grandchild in an Israeli raid that hit his home. This was […] todayJanuary 31, 2024 4
insert_link World Iran has so far resisted direct involvement in the Gaza war, but is that changing? By James Devine, Mount Allison University Iran has tried to keep the war in Gaza at arm’s length by providing support for Hamas through armed groups it backs in Lebanon, Yemen and Iraq. The Islamic Republic has indicated it wants neither to get directly involved in the fighting nor see the conflict escalate across the region. But as illustrated by the recent drone attack by pro-Iranian militias in Jordan […] todayJanuary 31, 2024 7
insert_link Africa Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger announce withdrawal from ECOWAS Military leaders of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger have withdrawn from ECOWAS, with immediate effect. According to the AFP news agency, all three countries were suspended from ECOWAS with Niger and Mali facing heavy sanctions. They have hardened their positions in recent months and joined forces in an "Alliance of Sahel States". A French military withdrawal from the Sahel -- the region along the Sahara desert across Africa -- has […] todayJanuary 29, 2024 1
insert_link World UN says still not enough aid getting into Gaza The United Nations says its still facing many obstacles in getting sufficient humanitarian and medical aid into Gaza. Speaking to reporters from Jerusalem on Wednesday the UN's Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory says the situation keeps deteriorating further and Israeli authorities continue to stop these conveys. Jody Jacobs reports from the United Nations in New York. todayJanuary 25, 2024 28
insert_link Africa Education has a huge role to play in peace and development: 5 essential reads Children’s education is frequently disrupted in conflict-fraught areas. Daniel Beloumou Olomo/AFP via Getty Images Natasha Joseph, The Conversation Nelson Mandela was a famous advocate for the value of education. In 1990, the man who would become South Africa’s first democratically president four years later told a high school in Boston: “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” The United Nations agrees. In 2018 […] todayJanuary 24, 2024 28
insert_link Opinion Pieces Syria’s Enduring Turmoil Heads Into 2024 Escalating violence in northwest Syria left 66 people dead in attacks by the government and Russia, according to the White Helmets/Syrian Civil Defense, above, in October 2023. The war, nearing its 13th year, has created the largest displacement crisis globally. Peacemaking efforts by the United Nations go on, but Russia’s crucial cooperation is growing more remote. By Jusaima Moaid-azm Peregrina via PassBlue The Syrian conflict, now nearing its 13th year, […] todayJanuary 23, 2024 23