IMF: Climate plays a role in up to 38% of Africa’s communal conflicts

IMF: Climate plays a role in up to 38% of Africa’s communal conflicts

Many studies of climate and its relationship to conflict have been inconclusive, with mixed results on how drought or deforestation might be driving tensions that can lead to violence. A new International Monetary Fund working paper, seeking to shed light on climate-conflict dynamics specifically on the African continent, details how…

Laureen is the editor of Africa Times

Libya’s path to peace derailed by familiar roadblocks

On May 18th, US diplomat Joey Hood became the highest-ranking American official to visit Libya since 2014, the year that Washington closed its embassy in Tripoli amid surging violence. Hood’s visit tempered optimism—the US dangled the possibility of eventually reopening its Libyan embassy—with clear concern over the likelihood of achieving…

Africa’s conflict, humanitarian crisis outlooks for 2020

The Democratic Republic of Congo and Nigeria are among the world’s top five countries facing humanitarian crisis in 2020, with Burkina Faso, Burundi and Chad added to the list compiled each year by the International Rescue Committee (IRC). The NGO said Yemen remains the greatest concern, followed by DR Congo…

Protests cast shadow on South Sudan at African Oil & Power

Participants in the three-day African Oil & Power conference, which runs through Friday in Cape Town, are showcasing African industry’s efforts to align with this year’s theme of “Make Energy Work.” Gwede Mantashe, the Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy in South Africa, served as keynote speaker on Thursday with…

Burkina Faso: ICRC warns of health impacts because of violence

Conditions in Burkina Faso are making it harder for health and humanitarian aid workers, with more than 100 health centers closing or limiting their roles because of the conflict. That’s according to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), which said Tuesday that roughly a half-million people now have…

African political conflict and the impact of education

By Dominic Rohner and Alessandro Saia According to the United Nations Annual Report on Children and Armed Conflict, 2018 year was the worst on record in terms of children trapped in armed conflict regions, with nearly 250,000 students impacted by the closure of several hundred schools in Mali alone. These…

Museveni promotes African unity at WEF meeting in Cape Town

President Yoweri Museveni, true to his pan-African convictions, said Thursday that unity is the key to ending the continent’s many conflicts and businesses contribute to the cause of peace by establishing stability. “Thriving businesses cause social transformation which changes society,” said Museveni, speaking at a session of the World Economic…

ICRC suspends Timbuktu work after yet another vehicle theft

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) says it is suspending operations in the Timbuktu region of Mali after yet another attack by an armed group on Monday, this time again stealing one of the organization’s vehicles. The humanitarian aid organization said the clearly marked Red Cross vehicle was…