by Natalia Kossobokova The Tech Spotlight Series is an interview series where we chat with experts in the technology sector about the latest in off-grid communications. In many of the world’s developing nations, there is a vast ecosystem of non-governmental organizations (NGO) working feverishly to help improve the quality of life. Operating in these places [...]
The Sahel, the region of transition between the Sahara and the savanna is now a haven for extremist organizations and criminal organizations with international reach. Desertification, pastoral-agrarian conflicts, marginalized communities, inadequate governance, harmful intervention of international powers, and under sourced security forces have all contributed to the unstable conditions that allow these types of groups [...]
Extremist groups such as ISIS and Al-Qaeda have found a home in the Sahel. Communities marginalized by their governments have proved to be the perfect foothold for radical extremism to take root. Up until now, the activities and goals of Isis and Al-Qaeda affiliated organizations based in the Sahel have been regional in nature. As [...]
Overview This report examines the implications of the political, economic, and military involvement by Iran and its proxies in the Sahel region of Sub-Saharan Africa. To examine these issues, the report’s sections define the Sahel region, explain the reasons that aid and involvement by external powers are welcomed by the local governments, analyze the [...]
Title Picture Source: Quartz Africa Since the early 1960s when West African countries gained independence from their former European colonial rulers, many of them have engaged in political, economic, and geo-strategic relations with the People’s Republic of China (PRC). In many cases, these relations intensified in the recent period, with China playing a major [...]
Quick Facts Geographical Size: 482,077 square miles. Eighth largest country in Africa. A landlocked country, Mali’s porous borders extend approximately 4,500 miles and border seven countries: Mauritania to the West, Senegal, Guinea, Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso to the south, Niger to the east, and Algeria to the north. Population: 18.5 million (2018). Language: French (Official), Bambara (80%), Berber, Arabic. Religion: Muslim (90%), indigenous beliefs (9%), Christian [...]
Building a Crisis Management Team A phone call in the middle of the night…the usual beginning to a crisis. Human factors are stacked against you: you are half-awake and have a hard understanding the information streaming over the phone, the person on the other end of the line is stressed and speaking quickly, and the [...]
Image: World Economic Forum Following the signing of the historic peace agreement between Ethiopia and Eritrea on July 9, 2018 (read Ethiopia and Eritrea: Ushering in Peace), the U.S. Secretary of State issued a statement commending both leaders and pledging support to the peace process. While the reconciliation events seemed to unfold fairly quickly, it was the result of [...]
On July 9, 2018, leaders of Ethiopia and Eritrea signed a historic peace agreement ending years of tensions and conflict. Read Ethiopia & Eritrea: Ushering in Peace to better understand the peace agreement and current affairs, and Ethiopia & Eritrea: History to review the history of relations between the two countries from colonialism to present-day. As Ethiopia embarks on [...]
As pre-colonial empires and kingdoms ruled the Horn of Africa, borders shifted and were constantly debated. However, colonization at the end of the 19th century was the true turning point in determining the future of modern-day Ethiopia and Eritrea, as well as the future of the entire continent. In 1890, after successfully defeating an autonomous [...]
