No. 724 – 30 April 2026 Europe External Programme with Africa is a Belgium-based Centre of Expertise with in-depth knowledge, publications, and networks, specialised in issues of peacebuilding, refugee protection, and resilience in the Horn of Africa. EEPA has published extensively on issues related to the movement and/or human trafficking of refugees in the Horn […]
A World Edging Back Toward the Nuclear Brink
By Jonathan Power LUND, Sweden | 29 April 2026 (IDN) — Not long ago, U.S. Strategic Command—the branch responsible for nuclear weapons—issued a stark warning: conflict conditions could “very rapidly drive an adversary to consider nuclear use as their least bad option.” That sober assessment captures a growing unease. President Joe Biden’s decision to send […]
IRAN: Sustainable Peace Takes Time
By David L. Phillips* OXFORD, UK | 29 April 2026 (IDN) — I spent hours with Ambassador Javad Zarif, Iran’s Permanent Representative to the UN and Foreign Minister in 2015. Rather convincingly, he maintained that Iran was not seeking a nuclear weapon but merely insisting on its right to enrichment. He called Iran’s nuclear program a […]
Preparing for War, Lacking Consensus: Tigray’s Divided Political and Social Landscape
By Daniel Tesfa, Shim Masha, Joëlle Stocker and Mirjam van Reisen MEKELLE, Ethiopia | 28 April 2026 (IDN) — Four years after the war in Tigray (Ethiopia) ended with the cessation of hostilities by the Pretoria Agreement, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), who represented the Tigray regional state in the agreement, has moved to […]
Breaking News: Peace Is Happening. Nobody Is Reporting It
By Renu Nauriyal* MUMBAI, India | 28 April 2026 (IDN) – While missile attacks and bombardments fill our feeds, front pages, and screens, cameras are not following the volunteer doctors operating on the injured, often without anesthesia. Journalists are not rushing to capture the teams that have crossed frontlines on foot to rescue marooned families. […]
Trump, Iran, and the Folly of Demanding Surrender
By Alon Ben-Meir* NEW YORK, 27 April 2026 (IDN) — Trump’s threats and maximalist demands ignore Iran’s history, security fears, and distrust of Washington. A durable agreement requires time, restraint, and professional diplomacy—not bombast, coercion, and calls for unconditional surrender that guarantee only resistance. Iran is not a transient power that can be coerced into […]
Conflict-ridden Sahel at the Crossroads
The Impact of the Iran War on West African Power and Conflict By Ramesh Jaura This article was first published on rjaura.substack.com BERLIN | 25 April 2026 (IDN) — The war involving Iran, Israel, and the United States is centred in the Middle East, but its effects are quickly changing geopolitical boundaries far beyond that […]
Situation Report: SAF carries out strikes on South Kordofan
Situation in Sudan (per 23 April) The Sudanese army resumed heavy aircraft operations over Kordofan for the first time in months, with MiG fighter jets carrying out strikes on RSF positions around Dilling in South Kordofan. A senior Rapid Support Forces (RSF) commander, Major General al-Nour Adam known as “Qubba,” defected to the Sudanese army […]
The Big Bomb Questions
By Jonathan Power LUND, Sweden | 22 April 2026 (IDN) — Rightly, the debate over how to end the Iranian nuclear (bomb?) crisis is now the number one issue in Western foreign policy. Compared with that, the civil war in Ukraine seems almost trivial—one that could be resolved in a week if only the West made […]
Rethinking Conservation as a Climate Solution
Connecting the futures of jaguars, whales, and humans into one vibrant ecosystem. By Ramesh Jaura This article was first published on rjaura.substack.com BERLIN | 22 April 2026 (IDN) — Marking a watershed moment for global conservation, countries at the 15th Conference of the Parties (COP15) to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of […]