After an Internet blackout, Congolese are taking to the streets of Brazzaville: Here’s why Carol Jean Gallo July 11, 2017Last month, people in the Republic of Congo lost their Internet -- and they remained offline for a week. People immediately suspected the government was behind the shutoff. This would come as no surprise as the government has taken increasingly bold steps in r...
A Prominent Youth Leader Calls for Calm as Xenophobic Tensions Rise in Africa Mark Leon Goldberg March 1, 2017Ed note. In recent weeks there have been a wave of attacks in South Africa targeting foreign populations, including Nigerians living in South Africa. Youth groups are major drivers of this violence, but they can also be part of the solution says Ugandan youth ...
Jendayi Frazer Lead Africa Policy During the Bush Administration, and She Has Stories to Tell Mark Leon Goldberg June 20, 2016Jendayi Frazer was a top ranking African policy official in the Bush administration, serving both at the National Security Council and in the State Department. She was also the first female US ambassador to South Africa.Frazer grew up in a military fam...
Is Terrorism in West Africa the New Normal? Belinda O'Donnell March 18, 2016Security officials across West Africa are working to rapidly scale up their intelligence sharing capabilities and tighten border security after an alarming week.On Sunday militants affiliated with al-Qaeda's North African branches, AQIM and al Mourabitoun,...
Kenyans are Elated to Welcome President Obama. But There’s Some Big Disappointment, Too Mark Leon Goldberg July 23, 2015President Obama is visiting Kenya this week. This is his first trip to his father’s country of birth since becoming president, and people in Kenya are certainly treating it like a homecoming.Here with me to discuss the symbolic and political relevance ...
Another Bad Election in Burundi Penelope Chester July 22, 2015Yesterday, amid an ongoing political crisis and unrest, Burundians went to the polls to vote in the country's contentious presidential election. While media reports that at least two people were killed the night before the polls opened, election day came and w...
South Sudan’s Grim Anniversary Penelope Chester July 9, 2015Four years after it celebrated its independence, the world's youngest sovereign nation is deep in the throes of a brutal civil war.
A Ticking Time Bomb in Burundi Penelope Chester May 11, 2015Burundi is facing its worst, most volatile political crisis since the end of the 12 year civil war in 2005. By all accounts, Burundi has been making steady social, political and economic progress since the end of the conflict, which killed an estimated 300,00...
Episode 58: Victor Ochen Mark Leon Goldberg March 30, 2015Victor Ochen grew up in displaced persons camps in Northern Uganda, fleeing from the Lord's Resistance Army. He emerged from that difficult situation to become a civic leader and peacemaker and this year, he was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for his work...
