Barring a few exceptions, the African continent is littered with despots whose insatiable thirst for power knows no decency or respect for human rights. Ugandans and indeed the international community watch on as nearly two months of tension-stoked drama gets a brief interlude with the adjournment of the treason case brought against the music star and opposition politician Robert Kyagulanyi.... Continue Reading
As with many other aspects of political and economic life on the continent, there is a complexity to African civil society and grassroots activism that escapes the international eye. Nigerian civil society groups are watching warily as long-running protests in neighboring Niger build in intensity, with some calling on Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari to intervene and urge the Nigerien... Continue Reading
After the seizure of a port facility by the Djibouti government, questions arise about the safety of investing in Africa. Following a legally dubious seizure of the Doraleh Container Terminal and the abrupt termination of DP World’s contract by the Djibouti authorities at the end of February, the company’s chairman, Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, had harsh words for both Djibouti and other... Continue Reading
Facing dwindling fortunes in Europe and America due to strong regulations, the tobacco industry has made Africa the new front line in its pursuit of profits. Health officials and experts from across the planet descended on Cape Town, South Africa, on March 7 for the World Conference on Tobacco or Health (WCTOH), a triennial conference aimed at finding a solution to one of humanity’s... Continue Reading
What Cambodia’s political crackdown means for ASEAN’s human right credentials. In what has become a conventional trait among ruling parties in nascent democracies, the Cambodian government dissolved the country’s main opposition party on November 16, 2017, for “plotting a coup.” This was the nadir of a systematically coordinated state-sponsored crackdown on the Cambodia National... Continue Reading
Across Africa, armies and police forces regularly prey on civilians, with women and children enduring the worst abuse. In December 2017, The New York Times exposed its readers to a horrific reality Nigerians have known about for years: the plight of female refugees and survivors from northeastern Nigeria who endure the deprivations of both Boko Haram and the security forces responsible for... Continue Reading
