ARTICLES
Something for nothing: Extortion in South Africa’s mining industry
Extortion syndicates have increasingly been targeting mining companies in South Africa, deploying a mix of old and newer tactics. Neo Tsotetsi examines these dynamics.
Extortion syndicates have increasingly been targeting mining companies in South Africa, deploying a mix of old and newer tactics. Neo Tsotetsi examines these dynamics.
In May, the Safeguarding Health in Conflict Coalition (SHCC) released its annual report, highlighting a sharp rise in violence against healthcare organisations and workers in conflict zones. Richard Gardiner explores the underlying drivers of this trend and argues that the SHCC’s findings reflect deeper concerns about the state of the aid sector as…
Former president Joseph Kabila’s return to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in April in the M23-controlled city of Goma, North Kivu, coincides with the government’s crackdown on pro-Kabila dissent, further complicating efforts to address the country’s persistent security challenges, writes Neo Tsotetsi.
Difficulties in navigating varying policy positions among the largest parties in South Africa’s unity government have highlighted the significant challenges facing the coalition. In the absence of a mechanism to handle these disputes, political infighting looks likely to persist, writes Shannon Lorimer.
In early 2025, Islamic State Sahel Province (ISSP) facilitated their first kidnappings of foreign nationals in nearly seven years. Neo Tsotetsi analyses the incidents and discusses the underlying shifts in the Sahelian security environment enabling it.
With Islamist militant groups and extremists carrying out attacks across multiple regions last year, Richard Gardiner examines some of the main actors involved and explores what may lie ahead in 2025.
Over the course of 2024, activists have mobilised around the world over a range of pertinent issues. With the underlying drivers behind these protests largely unaddressed, demonstrations will continue and potentially evolve this year, writes Shannon Lorimer.
Travel security threats in Sub-Saharan Africa remain influenced by the region's complex political and security dynamics, with escalating conflicts in Somalia, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Sudan, and the Sahel posing risks of piracy, kidnappings, and political evacuations.
Tamsin Hunt examines developments in conflict hotspots in Ukraine, the Middle East and Sudan, assessing prospects for peace, and the potential regional repercussions of drawn-out instability.
Following the recent closure of a prominent bar and eatery in central Cape Town, Richard Gardiner discusses the current dynamics driving extortion in the city’s hospitality industry, the tactics used by the extortionists and why it is unlikely to change any time soon.
13 years into the construction of the contentious Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, nine months since a Memorandum of Understanding between Ethiopia and Somaliland, and one month after a defence agreement between Somalia and Egypt, tensions in the Horn of Africa are on the rise. Osob Dahir examines these growing regional divides and their potential to…
Ukraine’s claims of supporting the Tuareg rebel attack on Malian and Wagner forces in July were poorly received in West Africa, complicating Ukraine’s efforts to improve its influence on the continent. Richard Gardiner explores the dangers of Ukraine mimicking Russia’s Africa strategy, highlighting instead the benefits of playing the longer diplomacy…