Forgotten Flint Tools in Museum Boxes Reveal How Egypt’s Early Farmers Paved the Way for the Pharaohs
The flints reveal that villagers created local economies from their skills long before state enterprise began.
Sudan
South Sudan Wants to Hold Elections in December: 3 Major Obstacles and Some Ways Around Them
South Sudan has postponed elections several times since signing a 2018 peace agreement.
Millions of Children Aren’t Getting Vaccinated: How Mapping Tools Can Help Find Them
Limited research on unvaccinated children covered those in conflict-affected communities, nomadic groups, refugees, cross-border migrants and urban-slum dwellers.
Nigeria Faces the World’s Highest Projected Death Toll From Super El Niño Heat: What Could Save Lives
The super El Niño could cause 31,400 extra heat deaths in Nigeria alone. Heat warnings, cooling centres and worker protections could help save lives.
Africa’s Red Sea States Face Growing Risks as Houthi Rebels Expand Their Reach
The African shoreline is now much more valuable to outsiders who want to monitor, contain or outflank the waterway opposite them.
DRC’s Ebola Epidemic Could Be the Worst in History: 4 Things That Could Help End It
The next phase of the response must not be about deploying more people into communities simply to deliver interventions.
Why Tupac Lives on in Cape Town 30 Years After He Was Murdered
Tupac is proof that being young, marginal and Black does not necessarily mean being powerless.
The Rhythms That Broke Bashir: How Sudan’s Music Shaped a Revolution
Music created the networks, identities and spaces of trust that made collective political action possible in Sudan’s 2019 revolution.
Sudan Peace: The Shadow of the Al-Bashir Regime Looms Over Talks
A new peace initiative has put the future of Sudan’s Islamist movement at the centre of post-war politics.
In Sudan, a Migrant Community Reveals a Resistance to Malaria: The Genetic Study Helping Shape Medicine
Understanding genetics can help explain differences in disease susceptibility across populations, informing medical research and public health strategies.
Cameroon’s Sacred and Royal Animals: Could Literature and Futures Thinking Help Save Them?
Literature about royal animals was used in workshops to imagine better futures.
China’s Military Support for Somalia Is on the Rise – What Taiwan and Somaliland Have to Do With It
Beijing’s growing interest in Somalia is less about development corridors and more about political alignment.
Dengue Fever Is a Growing Problem: Why It’s So Hard to Beat With Vaccines
In recent decades, cases have risen sharply in Africa as urbanisation, travel and climate change have expanded mosquito habitats.
Fink Haysom Fought Tirelessly for Justice and Reconciliation – In South Africa and on the Global Stage
The qualities forged by his intense involvement in the struggle for democratic practices shaped his approach to conflict and strife, wherever it occurred.
China in Africa: Investment and Trade Work Well When There’s Strong Oversight, and Badly When There Isn’t
Strong institutions ensure that foreign investment supports sustainable growth rather than environmental decay.
Africa’s Militaries Have Always Relied on Imported Weapons: Why a Shift to Homegrown Defence Is Now Under Way
Across Africa, governments are finding ways to reduce dependence on foreign arms suppliers and building capabilities they can control, maintain and adapt.
Why African Coup Leaders Often Turn On the People Who Supported Them
Once in power, military rulers have little incentive to share authority.
South Sudan’s White Army Explained
Treating the White Army as synonymous with South Sudan’s opposition serves a political purpose.
Global Demand for Shea Butter Is Growing: But It’s Not All Good News for the Women Who Collect the Nuts
Competition for shea trees is rising in west Africa, leaving the poorest women collectors with less access and fewer gains.
Israel’s Recognition of Somaliland Is About Political Alliances, Not Legal Principles
While Israel’s recognition of Somaliland alters the board, it doesn’t end the game.
The Making and Breaking of Uganda: An Interview With Scholar Mahmood Mamdani
Museveni came to power with the sense that violence is critical to politics, and especially critical to liberation politics.
How an Arms Company Tried to Block Your Right to Know – And Failed
Integrated Convoy Protection misled the court
Internet Shutdowns Are Increasing Dramatically in Africa – A New Book Explains Why
Internet shutdown affects millions of Africans more and more often and are most prominent during elections or protests.
How African Consumers Set Global Trade Trends in the 1800s
Africa’s ‘new consumer class’ isn’t new; in the 1800s the continent called the tune for European factories.