Mail & Guardian
Mail & Guardian
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Great gift: Africa, a continent of contradiction, where conflict and innovation, fragility and possibility, poverty
and resilience live side by side.

Africa has a gift the world still needs

The demographic case is equally striking. More than 60% of Africans are under 25. By 2050, one in three people aged 15 to 24 anywhere on Earth will be African. A continent this…

The Sahel region has become the gateway for jihadist terrorism in Africa

The three Sahelian countries — Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger — which have experienced military coups, have not been able to contain the growing episodes of terrorism they have…

South Africa’s department of international relations and cooperation announced its ascension to the African Union Peace and Security Council for a two-year term beginning in April 2026. (GCIS)

Peace in the ruins: South Africa, the African Union and the end of diplomatic illusion

Wars unfold in full view of the world with little consequence for the powerful and overwhelming punishment for the weak. To describe this order as functional requires a…

Rolex Pavilion and Exhibition : Mariam Issoufou

Built to Last: Memory, imagination, and the architecture of Mariam Issoufou

Her designs resist imitation. Her buildings whisper resilience. Mariam Issoufou is giving tradition a powerful, modern voice

Chad at a crossroads: turmoil and transition in the heart of the Sahel

The West African nation is at a tipping point as it grapples with a refugee influx not seen in two decades. But the possibility for a path to peace exists

Vested interest: The last French troops withdrew from Niger on 22 December last year, marking an end to
more than a decade of French anti-jihadist operations in West Africa’s Sahel region. Photo: Boureima Hama/AFP

Scramble for the Sahel intensifies

Why foreign powers France, Russia, China and the United States are interested in the region

One of the biggest difficulties the sector faces is securing permits and licences crucial for project commencement.

Russia nudges nuclear over solar

Burkina Faso and Mali may pay Rosatom to build nuclear plants. But why indenture yourself when energy emancipation is staring you in the face?

Hotspots: Armoured vehicles from Operation Barkhane, led by the French military against Islamist groups in the Sahel region, are handed over to the Malian army in Timbuktu. (Photo: Florent Vergnes/AFP)

Military coups and the legacy of French interference in the Sahel

The consequences of France’s meddling in the internal affairs of its former colonies continues to be felt in the region

Food prices soared in Sierra Leone in 2022. (Saidu Bah/AFP)

Political and economic volatility will continue in Africa in 2023

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…

A top shot of a powder drug like cocaine in the shape of Guinea (Africa) with a rolled money bill.(series).Inspired by the world we do live in. Photo: Getty Images

Cocaine trade changes routes in West Africa to avoid armed conflict – report

The cocaine trade is the third most prevalent market in 14 countries in West Africa

President of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo. (Photo by Riccardo Savi/Getty Images for Concordia Summit)

Why Ghana allows US military base on its soil

The current government is adhering to an old policy of appeasement of Western interests

A rebel fighter celebrates as his comrades fire a rocket barrage toward the positions of troops loyal to Libyan ruler Muammar Gaddafi April 14, 2011 west of Ajdabiyah, Libya.  Rebels exchanged artillery and rocket fire with loyalist troops west of Ajdabiyah April 14 as the confict engulfing Libya continued.  (Photo by Chris Hondros/Getty Images)

Nato uses West’s military muscle to force its way into Africa

The AU lacked a security apparatus of its own and Nato and the West were only too happy to step into the breach

Peril: People from Africa, Middle East and India use the Ukraine-Poland Medyka pedestrian border crossing. (Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto/AFP)

Ukraine refugees: West is empathic – if you are blonde

Europe has changed its attitude towards Ukraine refugees

Having committed to pursuing a much closer partnership with African governments and the African Union, the European Union must consider how it can best contribute to Africa’s security and economic prospects. (Photo by Dursun Aydemir/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Europe must be Africa’s partner of choice

Having committed to pursuing a much closer partnership with African governments and the African Union, the European Union must consider how it can best contribute to Africa’s…

A man holds a sign reading “Support to the army. Long live Russia and China, Ecowas and France get out” as supporters of the CNSP (National Committee for the Salvation of the People) take part in a rally on Independence square in Bamako,   on September 8, 2020, following a call by the MP4 (Popular Movement of 4th September) for a gathering to support the role of the army in Mali’s transition phase after a military junta overthrew the president. (Photo by MICHELE CATTANI / AFP)

Democracy delayed in Mali spurs sanctions from neighbours

Mali’s junta now finds itself ostracised by its regional peers – and at the centre of a dangerous new geopolitical game.

A man wears a traditional Kankurang mask along the beach in the popular tourist area of Senegambia in Banjul on December 6, 2021. (Photo: John Wessels/AFP)

The Continent: Africa A-Z of 2021

The highlights of 2021 in Africa

Six countries house the Earth’s African lung — Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and Republic of the Congo.

Congo Basin: Earth’s African ‘lung’ is it most resilient

The Congo Basin – the world’s second-biggest rainforest – resists extreme heat and drought and deserves the spotlight at COP26

Chad faces an uncertain future

Idriss Déby’s son takes power after strongman father dies in battle a day after his re-election

Chad’s president Deby dies in combat: army

Chad’s newly re-elected President Idriss Deby Itno, in power for three decades, died Tuesday of injuries while fighting rebels in the north of the Sahel country

Why the US’s counterterrorism strategy in the Sahel keeps failing

In exclusive interviews, former officials explain what has gone wrong and why the United States keeps making the same mistakes