President Adama Barrow must be told the blunt truth that his silence on the tribal poison now spreading in Gambian politics is not neutrality. It is endorsement. It is complicity. And it is dangerous. In recent weeks, as the December 5 presidential election draws closer, The Gambia has witnessed a disturbing resurgence of tribal gimmicks. […]
Niger’s military government has contained an attempted mutiny in the capital, but the uprising has exposed tensions inside an army struggling to contain persistent attacks by armed groups. It has also highlighted the changing nature of Niger’s security partnerships, with Russian personnel helping government forces contain the unrest. The mutiny began on Saturday at Base […]
For years, Saudi Arabia’s strategic patience was mistaken for strategic dependence. Riyadh absorbed provocations, avoided unnecessary wars, preserved its relationship with the United States, and concentrated on internal transformation and development. That restraint was never an acceptance that an American-designed regional security order would endure indefinitely. The mutual defence agreement signed in Mecca yesterday between […]
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has long presented his closeness to the United States – both politically and personally – as evidence of his indispensability to Israel. Arriving with a camera-ready American accent after spending a large portion of his youth in the country, Netanyahu is said to have used his unique understanding of US politics […]
Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the former emir of Qatar who transformed the small Gulf state into one of the world’s wealthiest and most influential nations, has died. He was 74. A charismatic figure with a friendly demeanour, the father emir assumed the reins of power in 1995. Regarded as the architect of modern […]
In the 20th century, the United States sponsored two peace agreements between Israel and Arab states, and it was close to securing a third, decisive one with Syria. These agreements came after decades of successive wars: The 1956 Tripartite Aggression, the 1967 Naksa, the October 1973 war, Israel’s Yet in recent years, the US has […]
How are health authorities responding? On April 24, the first suspected case of the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola was detected in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). On May 17, the World Health Organisation declared the outbreak a “Public Health Emergency of International Concern”. The current Ebola outbreak is the third-largest in world […]
The most significant sign of Republican success and excess in recent years has been their willingness to shut up, swallow their pride and fall in line behind their dear leader Donald Trump. Elon Musk has broken that code of silence with a loud blast against Trump that has launched social media memes and given late […]
In a thriving democracy, the judiciary stands as the cornerstone of justice and fairness, ensuring that every citizen, regardless of status, is held accountable under the law. However, as we acknowledge the pivotal role of judicial officers, particularly magistrates who handle approximately 70 per cent of criminal cases in this country, the discussion surrounding their […]
Fifty-seven years ago, almost to the month, celebrated Kenyan political scientist, Ali Mazrui observed that “for some reason, a disproportionate number of the historic acts of violence in Africa since independence have tended to happen in the months of January and February.” He had good reason for this. In January 1961, the Belgians and the […]
Kenyans gather to protest against the alleged abduction or disappearance of those critical of President William Ruto and the government in Nairobi, Kenya on December 30, 2024. Human rights groups report that dozens of Kenyans have been abducted in recent months, attributing the extrajudicial detentions to police and intelligence agencies. Political cartooning in Kenya has […]
Last week, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defence minister, Yoav Gallant, “for crimes against humanity and war crimes committed from at least 8 October 2023 until at least 20 May 2024”, as per the ICC press release. An arrest warrant was also issued […]
The flash floods that overwhelmed Spain’s eastern Valencia region two weeks ago were the deadliest natural disaster in the country’s living memory. The Spanish government responded to the tragedy with the largest peacetime mobilisation of the military and police in the country’s recent history, but it was still heavily criticised for the delays in the […]