Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces evolved from the Janjaweed militia that once terrorised the people of Darfur.
mOrso1/Flickr
The Janjaweed militia first came into play when Omar al-Bashir’s government deployed it in Darfur
Women and girls rescued from Boko Haram militants in January 2018.
Deki Yake/EPA-EFE
Boko Haram has the highest number of women fighters in the history of terror
President Muhammadu Buhari has endorsed June 12 as Nigeria’s official
Democracy Day.
Esther Addy/Flickr
June 12 is widely regarded as the most important day in Nigeria’s post-independence poltiical history
President Felix Tshisekedi has appointed a Kabila ally to the powerful post of prime minister.
Hugh Kinsella Cunningham/EPA/EFE
Felix Tshisekedi must come out from under former premier Joseph Kabila’s thumb.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Zambian President Edgar Lungu meet on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in Johannesburg in 2018.
EPA-EFE/Alexei NikolskySputnik/Kremlin Pool
Russia’s goal is to become one of Africa’s strategic partners through trade and armed support.
South African peacekeepers on patrol in North Kivu, DR Congo
EPA/EFE/Hugh Kinsella Cunningham
UN peacekeeping missions need to adapt to the complexities of active conflict situations.
UN peacekeepers from South Africa in Goma, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo in 2012.
EPA/Dai Kurokawa
The UN’s mandate must evolve to navigate new realities that include intra-state wars, non-state actors, and transnational crime.
Sudanese protesters at a demonstration outside the army headquarters in Khartoum.
EPA/Stringer
There are challenges that Sudan must overcome before power is transferred to its people.
Women and girls are at high risk of sexual exploitation in disaster situations.
Andre Catueira/EPA-EFE
Women in disaster zones are frequently targeted by sexual predators who take advantage of their vulnerability.
The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights is in danger of losing its autonomy.
EPA/Stringer
Despite taking a step backwards, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights can redeem itself by continuing to protect the rights of LGBTQ persons on the continent
The Ugandan government is one of many on the continent that’s overseen the erosion of media freedom.
EPA/Dai Kurokawa
The biggest threats are the concentration of media ownership and attempts to legislate the online media environment.
Former child soldiers need more than mainstream education and vocational training.
Robert Adrian Hillman/Shutterstock
The skills that former child soldiers gain in wartime can be useful as they reintegrate into society.
A United Nations protection camp in Juba, South Sudan.
JM Lopez/EPA
The United Nations Mission in South Sudan has had a mixed bag of success and failure.
Cattle rustling is big business in Northern Nigeria.
EPA/STR
Northern Nigeria’s cattle rustling problem is aggravated by the regions ungoverned forests.
DRC’s new President Felix Tshisekedi (left) and outgoing President Joseph Kabila. The two have agreed to share power.
Hugh Kinsella/EPA-EFE
The Democratic Republic of Congo has implemented power-sharing agreements before but none of them have worked.
Rwandan President Paul Kagame. Rwanda has a booming economy that is controlled by an authoritarian regime
Christian Marquardt/EPA-EFE
Rwanda is a paradox – a ‘development miracle’ and an authoritarian state.
It will be difficult to make the current peace agreement stick in South Sudan.
Mohamed Messara/EPA
Warring factions in South Sudan have signed numerous peace deals none of which have held.
Nigerians lined up to cast their ballots in the presidential elections in Abuja.
EPA-EFE/STR
After a long history of botched elections, Nigerians are hopeful that the 2019 poll results will be more credible.
South Sudan President Salva Kiir (right) shaking hands with former rebel leader and Vice President, Riek Machar.
Philip Dhil/EPA
South Sudan’s road to peace has been bumpy but there’s hope.
Egyptian President and newly-elected AU Chairperson Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.
EPA-EFE/STR
Having Egypt at the helm of the African Union might not bode well for human rights on the continent.