al-Shabaab
Charcoal: vast, vital and often criminalised

Charcoal: vast, vital and often criminalised

If forests are properly managed and harvested, charcoal could be a renewable energy source that does not destroy the environment. Charcoal is one of the most important commodities in sub-Saharan Africa. In southern and...

Between a rock and a hard place

Between a rock and a hard place

The Sahel: Africa’s Great Green Wall The African Union’s ambitious plans to revitalise the Sahel region face daunting challenges, including financial fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic It is a project that doesn't lack...

Africa’s technological arms race

Africa’s technological arms race

Digital surveillance: real and present danger Telecommunications snooping has emerged as a fundamental threat to African journalists Many journalists and researchers will remember the mid-2000s as halcyon days, when a...

Gun trouble in the green city in the sun

Gun trouble in the green city in the sun

Kenya: the arms race Kenyan authorities are grappling to answer the question of how large numbers of illegal firearms have ended up in civilian hands Referred to as the “green city in the sun”, Kenya’s capital,...

The terror business

The terror business

Africa: security Terror and violence are increasingly working together, and Africa will need a coordinated response to combat them By Richard Chelin During the Cold War era, terrorist groups could depend on state...

Popular but tainted

Popular but tainted

The scion of the post-colonial Kenyatta political dynasty, Kenya’s president Jomo Kenyatta continues to enjoy popular support for his promotion of development In public, Kenya’s third president comes across as someone...