Latest Articles about Africa
Terrorist Campaign Strikes Mombasa as Somali Conflict Spreads South
Kenyan authorities in the coastal city of Mombasa arrested two individuals on March 17 as they drove a vehicle laden with explosives into the city. Authorities believed that the two men were part of a larger cell of 11 who were planning a campaign of... MORE
The Libyan Oil Crisis: Social Fragmentation in an Unstable State
In early March, the North-Korean flagged tanker MT Morning Glory reached the eastern port of Es-Sider, one of the three oil ports seized by Ibrahim al-Jadhran’s Cyrenaica Defense Forces. [1] Jadhran’s forces tried to sell oil independently of Tripoli’s control, something that they had threatened... MORE
Congolese Forces Take the Offensive Against Uganda’s ADF-NALU Militants
Fresh from a victory over the rebel troops of the Mouvement du 23 Mars (M23) in the unsettled but resource-rich Nord-Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the Congolese army has launched an offensive against the self-described “Islamists” of the Allied Democratic... MORE
Counterterrorism or Neo-Colonialism? The French Army in Africa
France has sent troops in the past year to two former African colonies, Mali and the Central African Republic (CAR). In Mali, the concern was an Islamist terrorist assault on the government, while in the Central African Republic there were fears that religious clashes between... MORE
A Look at Influential al-Qaeda Member Abu Anas al-Libi and His Ties to Ansar al-Shari’a
In a clandestine operation that angered many Libyans, especially Islamists, U.S. Special Forces captured Nazih Abd al-Hamid al-Ruqai from outside his Tripoli home last October. Known as Abu Anas al-Libi, al-Ruqai is a Libyan al-Qaeda suspect with a $5 million bounty on his head for... MORE
Are Corruption and Tribalism Dooming Somalia’s War on al-Shabaab Extremists?
After decades of conflict that have nearly destroyed the nation, Somalia now stands poised to make a final drive with international assistance to shatter the strength of radical al-Qaeda-associated Islamists in central and southern Somalia, but there are indications that Somalia’s leaders may be posing... MORE
Anti-Balaka Militias Target Muslims in the Central African Republic
Recent fighting in the resource-rich Central African Republic (CAR) is inflicting a “human disaster” on the country. [1] Nearly one million residents of the country have been displaced, a majority of them from the northwestern region of the CAR that borders Cameroon and Chad, with... MORE
An In-Depth Look at Libya’s Controversial Militia Leader Ibrahim al-Jadhran
One of the greatest challenges faced by the fledging Libyan state is the seven-month long oil blockade affecting three oil terminals—Ras Lanuf, Es Sider and Zuetina—in eastern Libya that collectively account for 60 percent of the country’s oil exports. The blockade, led by Ibrahim al-Jadhran,... MORE
South Sudan on the Brink: A Profile of Nuer Opposition Leader Riek Machar Teny
As South Sudan teeters on the brink of another civil war less than two years after gaining independence, most of the focus has been on the young nation’s former vice-president, Riek Machar Teng. The 61-year-old is a veteran rebel who spent years collaborating with the... MORE
Tripoli Battles Shadowy Qaddafists While Tribal Rivals Fight Over Southern Libya
Despite living in the midst of some of the world’s most open and sparsely populated spaces, Libya’s southern tribes are engaged in a new round of bitter urban warfare, as snipers, gun-battles and mortar fire take a heavy toll on the civilian population. At stake... MORE