A disease suspected to be monkeypox is on the rampage in Nigeria. In less than one month, it has spread to seven of the country’s 36 states and infected 31 people.
Shoes left after a flash flood during the mudslide in Freetown, Sierra Leone August 18, 2017.
REUTERS/Afolabi Sotunde
Unless urban planning is taken seriously in Sierra Leone, there’s a risk that similar disasters like the mudslides could occur with potentially more devastating consequences.
The West needs to push for local action against Islamic State’s reign of terror in the Middle East. States in the region must find solutions to the conflicts to bring peace and stability.
The public in Sierra Leone was proactive in reporting suspected Ebola cases.
Reuters/Luc Gnago
The power to overcoming Ebola was in public awareness by performing simple yet basic infection prevention and control measures like washing hands, isolation and reporting suspected cases.
The IMF was blamed after the 2014 Ebola crisis for contributing to the failure of West African health systems to develop.
Reuters/Baz Ratner
West African health systems were weak before the IMF got involved. Sadly, the policy reforms demanded by the IMF in exchange for loans have undermined governments’ ability to repair these problems.
Who are you going to call?
EPA/Felipe Dana/AP/World Press Photo
IS has proved very adept at fending off massive conventional forces – but that doesn’t mean crack private security teams would do any better.
A disempowering judgment by the Special Court for Sierra Leone should not blind us to how local activists still made use of its symbolic power.
Steve Evans/flickr
How are we to understand why people in different parts of the world continue to demand and participate in transitional justice institutions and processes in spite of the shortcomings?
They might be certain, but they don’t have to be brutal.
Shutterstock
Tax systems in post-colonial Africa need to be reformed. For instance, there ought to be rebates for advancing moral good or educating future taxpayers.
Policewomen lock hands during a protest march in Nigeria.Collaboration between police and communities is helping improve safety in parts of the country.
Reuters/Afolabi Sotunde
A new study shows an amazingly symbiotic relationship between the community and police in Nigeria: 70% of survey respondents claim that collaboration has brought safety to their communities.
Magazine Wharf: home to some of Freetown’s hardest-hit Ebola survivors.
UK Department for International Development
To tackle Zika and other viral outbreaks, we need to focus not only on the pathology of the disease, but also on the global political and economic architecture.
The aftermath of a Libyan militia’s clash with Islamic State.
Reuters
Mercenaries and private armies have always been controversial – but are they really any worse than regular armies?
An excavator clears land for a palm oil plantation in southern Sierra Leone for a Lichtenstein-based a company. Such projects are criticised by some as ‘land grabs’.
Reuters/Simon Akam
International development banks are supposed to ensure adherence to human rights in the projects they fund. Instead, their practices provide fertile ground for human rights abuses.
The aftermath of an Israeli air strike on Gaza’s Islamic University. Higher education systems often become casualties of war.
EPA/Mohammed Saber
Although Sierra Leone is not yet officially ebola-free, there are significant improvements. Economic recovery discussions have also started. Care needs to be taken to ensure broader societal benefit.
Part-time lecturer at the Global Health & Social Medicine, Harvard University, and Lecturer at the School of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, University of Liberia