Program Related Publication Feeds

Social Grievances and Recent Challenges to the Khama State

Online Africa Policy Forum — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Who would have thought that one of the most serious manifestations in sub-Saharan Africa of the social grievances that have lurked behind the recent protests in North Africa would take place in Botswana, frequently hailed as Africa’s most politically open and most economically successful country?

Democratization in Desperate Places: Niger’s Seventh Attempt

Online Africa Policy Forum — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0500

On October 31, 2010 Niger passed a new constitution in a national referendum; the proposed document gained the support of 90% of all votes cast. This so-called “seventh republic” constitutes the latest attempt to create sustainable democratic institutions.

Côte d’Ivoire Standoff Continues

Online Africa Policy Forum — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0500

Reports of violence are mounting in Côte d’Ivoire as incumbent president Laurent Gbagbo continues in his refusal to relinquish power to Alassane Ouattara, broadly recognized by the international community as the legitimate winner of the country’s November 28 presidential runoff election.

Côte d’Ivoire Standoff Continues

Online Africa Policy Forum — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0500

Southern Sudan's Referendum

Online Africa Policy Forum — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0500

The people of Southern Sudan are on the verge of making a momentous decision about the future of their country. They will vote in a referendum, beginning on January 9, on whether to remain united with the North or secede from Sudan and form an independent state. Almost 4 million southerners have registered to take part.

Why U.S. Leadership is Critical to Reforming the Mineral Trade in Eastern Congo

Online Africa Policy Forum — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 00:00:00 -0500

In mid-September 2010, President Joseph Kabila of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) announced a comprehensive ban on mining in three provinces of the conflict-wracked Eastern Congo. During my recent visit to the region, the ban was a central preoccupation for most of the diggers, traders, government agents, and civil society representatives with whom I met.

The International Criminal Court and the Post-Election Violence in Kenya

Online Africa Policy Forum — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Luis Moreno-Ocampo, chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court(ICC) in the Hague, on December 15 requested the court to issue summonses to appear against six prominent Kenyans, including cabinet ministers Uhuru Kenyatta, William Ruto and Henry Kosgey, and Secretary to the Cabinet Francis Muthaura, former Police Commissioner Mohamed Hussein Ali , and radiobroadcaster Joshua arap Sang.<

The Election Crisis in Côte d’Ivoire

Online Africa Policy Forum — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Côte d’Ivoire remains locked in a precarious political standoff, with incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo refusing to cede office to political rival Alassane Ouattara, despite preponderant evidence that the latter won the November 28 presidential runoff election.

Ghana: The Opportunities and Dangers of Oil

Online Africa Policy Forum — Sat, 04 Dec 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Ghana is about to enter the ranks of Africa’s oil producers, joining long established producers like Nigeria, Angola, and Gabon, and more recent entrants like Equatorial Guinea and São Tomé and Príncipe. The quantities involved are comparatively modest.

The Americanization of the Kenyan Constitution: Will It Change Anything?

Online Africa Policy Forum — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Kenyans rejoiced on Friday, August 27; their long struggle for a new constitution ended, as President Mwai Kibaki, watched by Prime Minister Raila Odinga, his presidential rival in 2007, approved the new document at a ceremony in Nairobi’s Uhuru Park. Kenya’s politicians and civil society advocates have struggled to secure a new constitution for nearly a quarter of a century,

Turning the Corner in Kenya: A New Constitution for Nairobi

Online Africa Policy Forum — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 00:00:00 -0400

In a historic referendum on August 4, nearly 70 percent of Kenyan voters approved a draft for a new constitution, an outcome that raises the prospects for peace and stability in East Africa's anchor state and in the surrounding region.

Turning the Corner in Kenya: A New Constitution for Nairobi

Online Africa Policy Forum — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Understanding Burundi’s Elections

Online Africa Policy Forum — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0400

The outcome of the elections in Burundi seems to have taken long term observers of the country by surprise.

Autocrats United? The Peace and Security Council of the African Union

Online Africa Policy Forum — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400

The Obama Administration’s Sudan Strategy

Online Africa Policy Forum — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0500

After months of internal debate, mounting impatience among U.S.

AMISOM’s Five Challenges

Online Africa Policy Forum — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0500

In January 2007, the African Union launched its fourth peacekeeping operation, the AU mission in Somalia (AMISOM). Now approximately two and a half years old, AMISOM’s short life has not been a happy one. It was deployed to Mogadishu essentially in support of the Ethiopian government’s preferred faction in Somalia’s ongoing civil war.

Porous Borders and Fluid Loyalties: Patterns of Conflict in Darfur, Chad, and the CAR

Online Africa Policy Forum — Wed, 20 May 2009 00:00:00 -0400

Recent events in Chad and Sudan show once again that a regional approach is required if there is to be any hope of a lasting solution to the persistent conflict in this part of Africa. In February 2008, a Chadian rebel alliance backed by Khartoum launched an unsuccessful attack on N'Djamena, Chad's capital.

A Smarter U.S. Approach to Africa

Online Africa Policy Forum — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 00:00:00 -0500

**The following is the opening, pre-publication draft, chapter in the forthcoming CSIS Africa Program publication, "Beyond the Bush Administration’s Africa Policy: Critical Choices for the Obama Administration." Pre-publication drafts of the other chapters are available on the CSIS Africa Program website or by read more

What Rhodesia Can Teach Us about Zimbabwe

Online Africa Policy Forum — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 00:00:00 -0500

The world of 35 years ago was a dramatically different place, and nowhere more so than in sub-Saharan Africa. In the early 1970s, Portugal still clung to its colonies in Angola and Mozambique, South Africa was under the heavy hand of apartheid, and Rhodesia, as Zimbabwe was then called, was run by the white minority regime of Ian Smith. The domination of Africa by Europe and people

The Presidential Run-Off: Mostly Business as Usual for ZANU-PF

Online Africa Policy Forum — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Zimbabwe’s presidential election has captivated and horrified an international audience, which has watched President Mugabe use violent coercion to maintain his grip on a beleaguered nation.

The Zambezi Valley: China’s First Agricultural Colony?

Online Africa Policy Forum — Tue, 20 May 2008 00:00:00 -0400

NOTE: Deborah Brautigam, professor at American University's International Development Program in the School of International Service, recently posted a critique of this article, which was published on the CSIS Africa Policy Forum blog in May 2008.

African Churches and AIDS Prevention: Much Still to Be Learned

Online Africa Policy Forum — Mon, 19 May 2008 00:00:00 -0400

In October 2007, the Berkley Center at Georgetown University, Washington, D.C.’s famed Jesuit institution, released a report entitled Faith Communities Engage the HIV/AIDS Crisis.

Can Elections End Mugabe’s Dictatorship?

Online Africa Policy Forum — Thu, 15 May 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Zimbabweans’ experience of elections, especially since 2000 when the MDC first challenged ZANU PF rule, has made them cynical about elections as a mechanism to transfer power. They have learned that ZANU PF will do whatever it takes to win elections. 2007 was rated the worst year in terms of the number of human rights abuses since 2001, most perpetrated by ZANU PF state and pa

The Shrinking Effectiveness of U.S. Food Aid

Online Africa Policy Forum — Tue, 13 May 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Even before food prices started inching up during the 2005-06 growing season in the northern hemisphere, the World Food Program reported a troubling trend: donor countries were contributing less food for emergency relief at a time when the number of food emergencies had doubled to nearly 30 every year.

The Close of the Mugabe Era

Online Africa Policy Forum — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Common Sense About China’s Ties with Africa

Online Africa Policy Forum — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0400

In assessing Sino-African relations, three realities must be borne in mind.

Time to Break the Silence and Stop the Violence: Why Ending War Rape in the DRC Should be a Top Global Priority

Online Africa Policy Forum — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Ever since Women for Women International, the organization I work for, started its program in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in 2004, we have heard directly from women we serve about the use of rape and other sexual and gender based violence as weapons of war.

Comoros: Big Troubles on Some Small Islands

Online Africa Policy Forum — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0400

On March 25, 2008, military forces of the Union of the Comoros, supported by African Union (AU) troops from Tanzania, Sudan and Senegal, landed on the Comorian island of Anjouan. They met little resistance and took control of the island quickly in order to topple the regime of renegade Anjouan strongman Mohammed Bacar.

Chinese Boots on African Soil

Online Africa Policy Forum — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0400

BUKAVU - Holed up behind barbed wire and sandbags, two soldiers gaze over the green landscape of Congo’s Kivu Province. The forested hills around them are silent, but they are guarding a hub of activity. Meticulously stationed military vehicles surround a few dozen troops marching around a flag planted in the middle of a dusty parade ground – a Chinese flag.

AIDS Policy: Integrating HIV Prevention Services for Women

Online Africa Policy Forum — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0400

During his recent Africa tour, President Bush rightly highlighted the significant results of his HIV/AIDS strategy, but indicated that he would be willing to “change the tactics” if the strategy was not working. Despite impressive gains, there is an important area where U.S. AIDS policy is lacking: prevention of HIV infection for women.

China’s Relations with Mozambique: A Mixed Blessing

Online Africa Policy Forum — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Mozambique is positive on China. Mozambican leaders have gone beyond the usual declarations that Sino-Mozambican ties are “harmonious” and “based on equality and respect” to say that relations with China have given the country benefits and new opportunities that where never provided by western nations.

Understanding Zimbabwe's Elections

Online Africa Policy Forum — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Zimbabwe will hold elections for the house, senate, president, and local governments on March 29, 2008. The economy is at its all-time worst: 100,500% hyperinflation, basic food shortages, collapsing infrastructure and public services, and a drop in economic growth of over 30% since 2000.

The Diffusion of Violence in Kenya

Online Africa Policy Forum — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Before Kenya imploded in violence following its disputed election on December 27, 2007, most observers were optimistic about its future. Kenya had been on a roll since 2002, when the National Rainbow Coalition (NARC) under Mwai Kibaki finally put an end to the repressive regime of Daniel Arap Moi. One friend, who later became a minister, emailed me and exclaimed, "We did it!

Chad-Sudan : Khartoum’s failed Blitzkrieg Is not the end of the war

Online Africa Policy Forum — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0400

The forty eight hours of fighting inside Ndjamena, the capital of Chad, in early February 2008 have left President Idris Deby in power without solving any of the underlying causes of the conflict. The Sudan-backed rebels were pushed out of the capital, but they had not been crushed, only dented, and a renewal of the fighting is possible at any time.

South Africa’s “National Energy Emergency”

Online Africa Policy Forum — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0400

“This puts us in exactly the same position as other developing countries.” That was South Africa’s Minister of Public Enterprises Alec Erwin announcing in early February that the country’s sudden shortage of electric power, the “national energy emergency,” required rationing.

Strengthening AFRICOM’s Case

Online Africa Policy Forum — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0500

Over the past six months, the CSIS Africa and International Security Programs have closely tracked the development of the US Africa Command by interviewing key U.S. government officials, consulting expert opinion in the U.S. and internationally, and canvassing views from Africa.

Male Circumcision, HIV Prevention, and Support for Health Systems in Africa

Online Africa Policy Forum — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0500

In the past few years, clinical trials in Kenya, Uganda, and South Africa confirmed that male circumcision (MC) reduces the risk of transmission of HIV infection by approximately 60%. This news generated a flurry of activity in 2006 and 2007 by the international HIV/AIDS donor community, including WHO/UNAIDS and PEPFAR (the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, a U.S.

Western Sahara After Three Negotiating Rounds: What Is To Be Done?

Online Africa Policy Forum — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0500

In early January 2008, the third round of United Nations-sponsored negotiations on a political solution to the Western Sahara conflict ended without the parties reaching any kind of agreement other than to meet again in March. The third-round talks were known as “Manhasset III,” because like the earlier, equally unsuccessful rounds they took place in Manhasset, New York.

The Business of Peace Along the Kenya-Uganda Border

Online Africa Policy Forum — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0500

During 2005-2006, I spent 12 months in northern Kenya, a region of endemic violence based on cattle raids among rival communities. Here I was able to observe the peace-building efforts undertaken by various non-governmental organizations (NGOs) with the support of international aid donors.

U.S. Policy Options for Strengthening Coordination between Global HIV/AIDS and TB Programs

Online Africa Policy Forum — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0500

Over the past two decades, the relentless spread of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has amplified the global tuberculosis (TB) pandemic, which had previously been coming under increasing control. Currently, approximately one third of those living with HIV around the world are coinfected with TB.

Liberia: The Greatest Demobilization Need is Sustainable Jobs

Online Africa Policy Forum — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0500

President George Bush’s visit to Liberia this week as part of his five nation tour of Africa shows the United States’ commitment to helping Liberia recover from its 14-year civil war.

No EUFORia as Chad Plans Go Awry

Online Africa Policy Forum — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0500

At a European Union (EU) foreign ministers meeting on January 28, it was finally confirmed that Ireland's Lieutenant-General Patrick Nash would lead French, Swedish and Irish soldiers, as well as contingents from ten other contributor nations, to Chad and the northeastern Central African Republic (CAR), in an almost-4000-strong humanitarian-military mission to be known as EUFOR Chad/CAR.

Governance Not Guns in the Congo

Online Africa Policy Forum — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 00:00:00 -0500

Congratulations have been rolling in from diplomatic headquarters in Paris, London, Brussels, and Washington with the news of the signing of a cease-fire agreement in the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s violent eastern frontier region.

The Wonga Coup: Transparency and Conspiracy in Equatorial Guinea

Online Africa Policy Forum — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 00:00:00 -0500

On March 7, 2004, Zimbabwean authorities arrested seventy men at the Harare airport for illegal arms trafficking and immigration violations. Simon Mann, the Eton-educated leader of the group and a former partner in the defunct private military firm Executive Outcomes, claimed that they were picking up weapons for a security job at a mine in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The Next Step: Civil Society Mobilization in Africa’s AIDS Fight

Online Africa Policy Forum — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 00:00:00 -0500

In the past seven years, the world has witnessed at least three hopeful trends in the fight against HIV/AIDS in Africa: (1) funding for AIDS prevention, care, support, and treatment programs has reached an all-time high; (2) the HIV prevalence rate has declined in some countries; and (3) most African governments have developed AIDS strategies and policy-making institutions.

Breaking the Stalement in Kenya

Online Africa Policy Forum — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 00:00:00 -0500

The historical origins of the violence that has engulfed Kenya since the discredited election of December 27 run deep, and it will take more than a recount of the vote and/or the formation of a government of national unity to resolve the crisis.

U.S. Engagement in Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa

Online Africa Policy Forum — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 00:00:00 -0500

A reassessment of U.S. policy toward Ethiopia is very much in order. A year has passed since Ethiopia intervened in Somalia, and its troops are bogged down there in an ongoing low-intensity conflict that has created a grave humanitarian crisis. The invasion appears deeply unpopular with the Somali people, and the tide of battle could yet turn decisively against the Ethiopians.

China in Cape Verde: the Dragon’s African Paradise

Online Africa Policy Forum — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 00:00:00 -0500

China’s first established relations with the West African nation of Cape Verde in April 1976. Ties remained friendly and courteous in subsequent years, but largely confined to intermittent cultural exchanges and rare visits to Cape Verde by mid ranking Chinese officials.

DR Congo : the Troubled East

Online Africa Policy Forum — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 00:00:00 -0500

There are two schools of thought to explain the continuing violence in the Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. One, which could be labeled the traditional post-Rwanda genocide view, and which is widely held in the international community, is that “negative forces” (i.e.

The ANC’s Polokwane Conference: Dangers and Opportunities

Online Africa Policy Forum — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 00:00:00 -0500

In 2007, South Africa is celebrating 13 years of democracy. It has been a year characterized by the trials of adolescence and the growing pains that are bound to occur in a maturing democracy. Most notably, the year was one of bitter political infighting within the ruling African National Congress (ANC), in the run up to its national conference, scheduled for December 16 to 20, 2007.