Kinshasa’s traffic cops run an extortion scheme generating five times more revenue than fines

Kinshasa’s traffic cops run an extortion scheme generating five times more revenue than fines

Commuting in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, presents challenges for its 17 million residents. Massive traffic jams and unsafe driving cause chaos on the roads, leading to long delays. The chaos has become a pressing concern for residents. Reaching Gombe, Kinshasa’s central business district, for instance, can take up to five … Read more

ethnic divisions are being used to cover up army failures – peace scholar

ethnic divisions are being used to cover up army failures – peace scholar

Sudan’s civil war has devastated the country and strained relations with neighbouring South Sudan. Events in January 2025 have stirred up xenophobic feelings in Sudan and outrage in its southern neighbour, heightening the risk of regional instability. Early in the year, the Sudanese Armed Forces captured Wad Madani, a town in Sudan’s central Al Gazira … Read more

why they’re there and what’s going wrong

why they’re there and what’s going wrong

The death of South African soldiers on a Southern African Development Community (SADC) mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has sparked fierce debate about the deployment of South African National Defence Force (SANDF) soldiers there. Some, including political parties, have questioned whether the soldiers were adequately trained, equipped and supported. Lindy Heinecken has … Read more

Land seizure and South Africa’s new expropriation law: scholar weighs up the act

Land seizure and South Africa’s new expropriation law: scholar weighs up the act

South Africa has a new law to govern the expropriation (or compulsory acquisition) of private property by government for public purposes or in the public interest. The passing of the Expropriation Act 13 of 2024 followed a parliamentary process that began in 2020. The act repeals the apartheid-era Expropriation Act 63 of 1975, and aims … Read more

William Ruto has set up a task force – feminist scholar explains its flaws

William Ruto has set up a task force – feminist scholar explains its flaws

Gender-based violence is a major challenge in Kenya, which has recorded a significant rise in deaths of women and girls in recent years. In January 2024, a coalition of organisations across the east African nation organised multi-city public marches to call for government action against these deaths. A year later, President William Ruto established a … Read more

Chad’s parliamentary election hands Mahamat Déby absolute control. Here’s why it’s dangerous

Chad’s parliamentary election hands Mahamat Déby absolute control. Here’s why it’s dangerous

Chad held parliamentary elections in late December 2024. The final results released on 21 January 2025 gave the well-established former ruling party, the Movement Patriotique du Salut (MPS), 124 seats out of 188. The election marked the end of a four-year transition in Chad following the death of former president Idriss Déby Itno in March … Read more

Cameroon could do with some foreign help to solve anglophone crisis – but the state doesn’t want it

Cameroon could do with some foreign help to solve anglophone crisis – but the state doesn’t want it

What began in late 2016 as a peaceful protest by lawyers and teachers in Cameroon’s North West and South West regions quickly turned violent and developed into what’s become known as Cameroon’s anglophone crisis. The protest was instigated by perceived marginalisation of Cameroon’s anglophone region, which makes up 20% of the nation’s 29 million people. … Read more

a fresh mediation effort is needed – how it could work

a fresh mediation effort is needed – how it could work

Intense fighting has ravaged Sudan since 15 April 2023. The war between the Sudanese Armed Forces and its erstwhile comrades-in-arms, the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, has created one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world. Famine, displacement and mass atrocities are wreaking havoc in the country. International mediation efforts have been lacklustre and fruitless. … Read more