Steve Biko left an indelible mark on South African politics and history.
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Steve Biko married reason with proselytising in ways that made him an excellent organiser. He understood the importance of organising and the need for faith in action.
An Al-Shabaab flag on the wall of a former school in Mogadishu in December 2011.
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Al-Shabaab has grown rich and retained influence over much of Somalia.
United Nations headquarters, New York.
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New threats to international security can only be resolved by a UN security council that represents the interests and perspectives of all humanity.
Dancers perform at a recent SADC meeting. A regional parliament could see more women represented in southern African legislatures.
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The Southern African Development Community Parliament will have the delicate job of ensuring good participatory regional governance while protecting national sovereignty.
The Bulengo camp for war-displaced people near a front line on the western outskirts of Goma, eastern DRC.
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Temporary ceasefire should be seen more broadly as a window to further engage with all parties to find long-term solutions.
The parliamentary intelligence committee reveals some oversight weaknesses.
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Having to account for spending on covert operations would make it more difficult for intelligence agencies to abuse their powers.
Kenya’s President William Ruto.
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The new cabinet needs to transform the status quo.
People displaced by war seek refuge at a school in Minova, South Kivu, eastern DRC.
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The lead protagonists, Congolese president Felix Tshisekedi and his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame, seem unwilling to reconcile. Personal mediation is required.
A Congolese army tank near the North Kivu city of Goma in May 2022.
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High military spending can sap resources meant for education, healthcare and infrastructure.
Rwandan president Paul Kagame acknowledges the crowd at a campaign rally.
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Only Paul Kagame will decide when he exits Rwanda’s political stage.
Kenyan police officers face off with anti-tax protesters outside the Kenyan parliament building in Nairobi on 25 June 2024.
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Protests in Kenya reveal that a young, enlightened, urban population can drive a hard bargain with a state that is failing them.
Kenya police officers surround a protester during demonstrations on 20 June 2024.
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Domestic and international laws obligate the Kenyan state to enable citizens to realise the right to peaceful assembly.
South African president Cyril Ramaphosa heads a new government of national unity.
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The hope is for pragmatism to drive a transition process. Obsessive adherence to ideological preferences will not build national unity or a sound foreign policy.
Somali National Army trainee officers.
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Without the AU Transition Mission, the Somali army should prepare to face several hundred additional attacks each year.
Cyril Ramaphosa addresses parliament after being announced president of South Africa.
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Elite political culture matters, especially in the context of a unity government. To succeed, party leaders must embrace the politics of collaboration built on trust.
The Hector Pieterson Memorial in Soweto honours school children who were murdered by apartheid police in June 1976.
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There has been a long history of resistance to white hegemony in the United States and South Africa.
White voters are the most loyal to one party among the South African electorate.
Racial identities continue to shape voter behaviour in post-apartheid South Africa.
South African foreign minister Naledi Pandor addresses the media outside the ICJ at The Hague.
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The country will see more foreign policy continuity if the ANC partners with smaller parties that share its world view.
Live broadcasts of court proceedings are rare in Ghana.
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Ghana’s supreme court will rule whether the anti-LGBTQI+ bill is constitutional. The proceedings are being broadcast live on television, a rarity. .
Workers in a car factory in South Africa.
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Power outages in South Africa pose a threat to employment.