About 50% of the continent’s children have experienced violence – emotional, sexual, physical and the added dangers of war
Somaliland’s strategic value in the Horn of Africa means the repercussions of such a decision would be far-reaching
The World Bank estimated that in 2011, at the height of attacks, the pirates cost the world economy US$18 billion
The world’s most powerful military force mistook a woman and a child for a man in rural Somalia, killed them, and decided their deaths were no one’s fault
The Las Anod conflict complicates the mission for true independence from Somalia
Statistics released by the government show that about 50% of those who died are probably children
Although direct trade and financial links between Africa, Russia and Ukraine may be small, the main effect of the war will be civil strife in Africa driven by food and energy inflation
The militant group is supposed to be on the back foot, but it retains the capacity to execute deadly raids in the capital city
On average, five Somali journalists are killed every year, but in the absence of political will to change the situation, the killers are allowed to continue with impunity
Three countries in sub-Saharan Africa notorious for consistently executing people – Botswana, Somalia and South Sudan – were responsible for all the known judicial executions in the region in 2021
When the infrastructure breaks, the social fabric frays, rape escalates and taps run dry, we curse the foreigner, who is always from another African country
People live a ‘hellish existence’ in countries such as South Sudan, northern Mozambique, the DRC but these are a blip on the international media’s news cycle
Desperate, hungry and thirsty, more and more people are flocking to Baidoa from rural areas of southern Somalia, one of the regions hardest hit by the drought that is engulfing the Horn of Africa.
African leaders are taking the initiative in developing strategies for coping with it, including its effect on the continent’s water security and sanitation
Three consecutive rainy seasons have failed as the region has recorded its driest conditions since 1981
Africa is again becoming the stage for the proxy wars of foreign powers
Conflict hotspots, most in the Sahel region, will continue to dominate the news this year, while a number of countries will hold key elections.
The highlights of 2021 in Africa
Restrictions to battle the pandemic offer ideal cover for authoritarian regimes to undermine and clamp down on opposition parties
The Somali federal government and federal states must integrate climate risks into their security planning. This will enhance their ability to prevent climate-related violence
Abdallae Ahmed Mumin recalls being shot at and threatened in the line of duty. He escaped with his life, but not all his peers were so lucky.
Climate change also has the potential to increase conflicts in Africa, as competition for scarce resources grows
The Mail & Guardian spoke to Somalis about their relatives who disappeared after signing up for military training and fear they may have been killed
After being praised for their handling of the pandemic, African countries must now confront the economic fallout – even as they grapple with existing political and security challenges
Lensman Sam Msibi’s memoir, The Accidental Frontline Journalist, reveals a life irrevocably bound to South Africa’s history
World leaders must choose between life or death for humanity, say climate justice activists at 10th Desmond Tutu international peace lecture
The regulations aim to prevent money laundering and financing terror organisations, but implementing them is proving to be difficult
Abdirahman Yusuf was determined to document the pandemic, so he
went to the place that scared him most — the Covid-19 hospital
Hodan Nalayeh was a Somali journalist famous for telling uplifting, positive stories about her country. She was killed in a terrorist attack in Kismayo in July 2019. A year later, the writer Ifrah Udgoon remembers how Nalayeh’s life and work shaped her own
In this memoir, the first Somali-American woman elected to the US Congress describes how she got there
Although the overall rate of conflict has remained steady in Africa during the past 10 weeks of the pandemic, the nature of this is changing in subtle but significant ways
One radio presenter is using the airwaves to bring vital facts about the virus to Dadaab’s 217 000 residents