Viewpoint by Max Berengaut* MARRAKECH (IDN) — Entering Morocco, Sub-Saharan African migrants find themselves at a crossroads. There is the promise of an economic future waiting for them in Europe, but the path to it is perilous. They require either an assurance of asylum status or some familial relationship with a European in order to […]
Who Wins from The Tokyo Olympics Going Ahead?
Viewpoint by Corey Wallace The writer is Assistant Professor at Kanagawa University. YOKOHAMA, Japan (IDN | East Asia Forum) — Since the beginning of the pandemic, the Tokyo Olympics have cast a shadow over Japan’s COVID-19 response. Critics—including a former Japanese prime minister—questioned whether the government’s lacklustre early response to the outbreak and its ‘risky’ […]
Belgium to Return Plundered Artworks to DR Congo
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) — Belgium is the latest European country to promise to return artworks plundered from its former Congolese colony, as it seeks to confront its brutal colonial past. Belgium’s Africa Museum has said up to 2,000 works, including statues, musical instruments and weapons, were acquired illegally during […]
US Exit from Afghanistan Promises Opportunities for China
Viewpoint by Emil Avdaliani* TBILISI, Georgia (IDN) — China fears the repercussions associated with the looming US withdrawal from Afghanistan as a rise of extremism in the country could spread and threaten Beijing’s key positions in Xinjiang and Central Asia. However, America’s exit might yet bring some unforeseen benefits. A Chinese-led peacebuilding agenda would mean […]
Ethiopian Leader Wins New 5-Year Term in A ‘Credible’ But ‘Flawed’ Vote’
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) — In a vote the US called “significantly flawed,” Ethiopia’s “Prosperity Party”, headed by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, carried the majority of votes cast. Prime Minister Abiy hailed the election as Ethiopia’s first attempt at a free and fair vote. The vote was a test for […]
Encounters with Refugees at the Three-Country Point between Sudan, Eritrea and Ethiopia
By Morgane Wirtz** Since the start of the conflict in Tigray in November 2020, Sudan has hosted more than 60,000 Ethiopian refugees. They are in addition to the tens of thousands of Eritreans the country receives each year. Some are fleeing massacres; others have been forced to fight. HAMDAYETE, Sudan (IDN) — The Sudanese village […]
Surprise Developments in South Africa, Nigeria and Ethiopia
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) — Supreme Court judges “reconsider and rescind” their own judgement against a former president, a leader faces trial for secessionist activities, a rebel movement trounces an army: these surprise developments are the focus of this week’s Africa News Briefs on South Africa, Biafra and Ethiopia.
Growing Calls for Nigerian President to Step Down
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) — New troubles are facing Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, already struggling to rein in the kidnappings of Nigerian schoolchildren in the country’s Northwest. Now, a federal High Court has ordered the Government to pay $951 million to the Bayelsa State government, while another court has ordered […]
Militarization, Environment, and Hybrid Maritime Trade War Under a Covid-19 Mask
By Darini Rajasingham-Senanayake The writer, Dr. Darini Rajasingham-Senanayake, is a Social and Medical Anthropologist, at the International Centre for Ethnic Studies, based in Colombo, Sri Lanka. COLOMBO (IDN) — On June 24, Poson Poya (full moon) day, one of the most sacred days in a Sri Lankan Buddhist’s calendar, the day that Buddhism arrived on […]
Kenneth Kaunda, Giant Of African Nationalism, Passes At 97
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) — One of the giants of 20th century African nationalism, Kenneth Kaunda, former president of Zambia was to many, the gentle giant who pioneered African socialism. The “patriarch of African independence” passed away June 17 at a military hospital in Zambia’s capital, Lusaka. He was 97. […]