Month: January 2014

  • Museveni plays peacemaker by day and combatant by night in South Sudan

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    (Originally published in African Arguments on January 31, 2014) Within days of the outbreak of the violence in mid-December, the Uganda People’s Defence Force (UPDF) deployed to South Sudan at the government’s invitation. The UPDF’s mission at the outset was ostensibly to evacuate the over 200,000 stranded Ugandan nationals and to secure strategic installations in Juba. However, several… Read.

  • Catching up on CAR, trying to avoid clichés

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    If you’ve been following the news on the Central African Republic (CAR) over the past 13 months, you have probably seen many references to the country’s abundant mineral wealth, chronic instability, crushing poverty, sectarian (Christian vs. Muslim) strife, and allegations of genocide. Some of the recent analysis and media reporting goes beyond these clichés, so I thought I’d… Read.

  • Cessation of Hostilities (or Ceasefire Lite) signed for South Sudan

    Yesterday in Addis, a Cessation of Hostilities Agreement was signed between the Government of the Republic of South Sudan (GRSS) and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement / Army in Opposition (SPLM/A in Opposition). The agreement enters into force 24 hours from the time at which it was signed. Contrary to what some media are reporting, this Cessation… Read.

  • U.S. to help stand up Nigerian Army Special Operations Command (NASOC)

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    Last week, Nigeria announced the creation of an Army Special Operations Command (NASOC) at a Counter-Terrorism and Counter-Insurgency Lessons Learned Exchange between the United States and Nigeria. I’d been tracking developments with regard to bilateral security cooperation and had heard about the creation of NASOC when I was in Nigeria last summer, which is why this announcement… Read.

  • Burkina Faso’s Compaoré needs an Exit Strategy

    (Originally published in World Politics Review on January 21, 2014) Despite its status as a poor, landlocked country in the midst of West Africa, Burkina Faso plays an important role in the region and for its international partners. During his 26 years in power, President Blaise Compaore has cast himself as an indispensible mediator, having brokered… Read.

  • Return to the Mothership

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    Yesterday was my first day back at CNA, the place I’ve affectionately called “The Mothership” for the past fifteen months of my assignment at the Center for Complex Operations. While at CCO, I was working on an analysis of the Trans Sahara Counter Terrorism Partnership (TSCTP), which is an interagency U.S. government program to counter… Read.

  • Lesley on Africa can’t get enough of #ThingsILoveAboutSouthSudan

    Earlier today, I wrote about the #ThingsILoveAboutSouthSudan hashtag, but I enjoyed the photos so much that I’m embedding more below: https://twitter.com/E_Poli/status/422078323867795457 The people you pass on the street. #thingsiloveaboutSouthSudan #southsudan pic.twitter.com/sIsVeBkKue — Ryan Musser (@musserryan) January 15, 2014 https://twitter.com/disastrpassport/status/422439377008984064 https://twitter.com/AguilB/status/423555496155820032 https://twitter.com/E_Poli/status/423561474490236928 Views from Jebel Kujur at dusk. My favorite. #thingsiloveaboutSouthSudan #SouthSudan pic.twitter.com/8QlhNuOOHs — Ryan Musser (@musserryan)… Read.

  • Lesley on Africa loves #ThingsILoveAboutSouthSudan

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    I may have had a liberal relationship with the truth when I said I was in Twitter exile. Over the past few days, it appears that the hashtag  #ThingsILoveAboutSouthSudan has been trending, as those who have spent time in South Sudan share their positive experiences of the country and its people. Earlier this week, BBC… Read.

  • South Sudan roundup (+ recommended readings!)

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    I’m in the process of transitioning from my current assignment back to The Mothership this month, so I haven’t been able to keep up with the events unfolding in South Sudan as much as I’d like. From what I can ascertain, here are some important developments from the past two weeks: Since mid-December, 189,000 South Sudanese… Read.

  • Meeting the Demand for African-led, Internationally Supported Peace Interventions

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    The Africa Growth Initiative at Brookings has continued its tradition of asking its experts and colleagues to identify what they consider to be the key issues for Africa in the coming year in “Foresight Africa: Top Priorities for the Continent in 2014.” The format of the report is as follows (and includes a contribution from yours truly): Pushing the Employment… Read.

Official White House Photo by Polly Irungu