Benefactor, Villain, None of the Above? What’s the issue? For the past twenty years, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has been funding roads, railways, airports, shipping ports, and investing in African countries at an unprecedented rate. At the last Forum on the China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC ) in 2018, the CCP pledged $60 billion dollars in funding. It made the…

Is Nigeria a failed state? The NY Times reported another kidnapping in northern Nigeria this past Friday. Armed men abducted 317 girls from the Government Girls Secondary School in Jangebe, in Zamfara state. One police officer was killed during the attack. This is the second mass abduction in as many…

It’s easy to forget the world is still connected. But we ignore it at our own peril — The last US president called the countries of Africa (and elsewhere) “shitholes” and questioned their contribution to American society-despite having never visited the continent. This year the US will face a number of domestic issues — rising long-term unemployment, an economic recession, rising debt, a polarized and dysfunctional political system…

France Looks for an Exit from the Sahel Ahead of the Presidential Election What happened After eight years of operations in the Sahel region, politicians in France are looking for an exit strategy. President Emmanuel Macron is set to announce the withdrawal of 600 troops in February, who were only deployed last…

But Is There Really Such A Thing? What happened? What could have been Benin’s first female presidential candidate, the leader of the opposition party Les Democrates, Reckya Madougou, was arrested earlier this month (3MAR21) and charged with financing terrorism. …

​The Usually Peaceful Country Has Been Rocked By a Week of Violent Protests What Happened? Hundreds of supporters of opposition leader Ousmane Sonko clashed with police last Wednesday (3MAR21) while the former presidential candidate was heading to court to face a rape charge. The government blamed Sonko for the clashes, charged him with disturbing the public order and had him arrested. His arrest sparked more…