Global Vaccine Politics and its impact on Africa – the case of Zimbabwe
With new technologies and the evolution of medical science in the twenty first century, the COVID-19 vaccine was developed faster than vaccines for previous pandemics and epidemics. Vaccine nationalism, where some governments signed agreements with pharmaceutical manufacturers to supply their own populations with vaccines before they had become available for other countries, has led to the politicization of COVID-19 vaccines.
Water Resources and Inter-State Conflict: Legal Principles and the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD)
Amid the climate emergency, access to freshwater is a potential source of tension and conflict between states. One example of tension tied up to a transboundary watercourse is the on-going dispute between Egypt and Ethiopia over the water resources of the River Nile. A long-standing dispute between the countries has gained tension due to the construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) by Ethiopia.
South Sudan: From war-torn to Regional Peacemaker
As South Sudanese celebrated the tenth anniversary of independence on 9 July, their ambitions to build a nation that they fought for and that many have scarified their lives for, have not yet been realized. Many challenges still undermine the nation building programmes and the people’s aspirations.
The United Nations Mission in South Sudan: Reflections and Future Priorities
On 9 July 2021, South Sudan commemorated its 1o-year anniversary as an independent, sovereign state. The celebrations across the country were quiet. The exuberant scenes of 2011 gave way to pensive stocktaking as South Sudan emerges from a vicious cycle of civil war and a weakened economy brought to the brink by the COVID-19 pandemic. What has remained however is the resilience of the people of South Sudan, and their ability to look toward a future of peace, stability, and development. Their hope rests on the permanent ceasefire which has continued to hold since 2017, and the implementation of the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS), signed in 2018 following the breakdown of the previous peace agreement.
Desecuritizing the Politics of the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo
One cannot stabilize the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) without building a trustworthy and effective local and national political leadership, desecuritizing the national political narrative, and depoliticizing national security operations.
The role of the IGAD Mission in the Republic of South Sudan
IGAD upgraded its presence in various IGAD Member States namely; Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Uganda to full time presence instead of ad hoc engagements or small liaison offices, while Djibouti remains the seat of the Secretariat and the Executive Secretary. The IGAD presence in the Republic of South Sudan started with a liaison office at the sub-national regional government of southern Sudan in 2005 to follow up on the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), and upgraded to a small Juba Liaison Office after South Sudan’s independence on 9 July 2011.
Missed Opportunities for Peace in the First Decade of Independent South Sudan
The 9th of July 2021 marks the first decade of independence of the Republic of South Sudan and the challenges of nation-state building. The 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) paved the way for separation of Southern Sudan from the Sudan in 2011 through a referendum for self-determination. Though the parties pledged to make unity of the Sudan attractive, the people did not believe.
The Politics of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) – an Ethiopian Perspective
Though it is shared by 11 riparian countries, Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia dominate the contesting debate over the Nile water resource. Historically, the Nile basin has been dominated by unilateralism, exclusion, colonial and neo-colonial drives to justify Egypt’s and Sudan’s monopoly over the utilization of the shared water resource.
Socio-political dilemmas faced by Uganda and South Africa in the third wave: The impact of lockdown measures
Africa had time to prepare for the pandemic outbreak after the first wave of COVID-19 in China and Europe. However, Africa is one of the continents most affected by the third wave, with South Africa being particularly affected. Africa is faced with over 5.6 million COVID-19 cases and 146 497 deaths (06 July 2021). South Africa is leading with over 2 million coronavirus cases (06 July 2021)
COVID-19 and People on the Move in Africa: The impact of State Responses to the Pandemic on Migrants, Refugees, Asylum-Seekers and Internally Displaced People
The spread of COVID-19 throughout Africa has not only generated health emergencies across the continent but has also had devastating impacts on local and national economies, lives and livelihoods. Inevitably, marginalised populations such as migrants, refugees, asylum-seekers and internally displaced people (IDPs) have been some of the worst affected, including increased risk for their health, wellbeing and protection.