África

Liderazgo climático desde el sur global

El mes pasado, se celebró en París la reunión ministerial de la Agencia Internacional de la Energía, y en Adís Abeba tuvo lugar la cumbre anual de la Unión Africana (que hace poco se unió al G20). En ambos foros se reconoció la necesidad urgente de cumplir los compromisos formulados el pasado diciembre durante la Conferencia de las Naciones Unidas sobre el Cambio Climático (COP28) en Dubái, en particular el de triplicar la capacidad de generación de energía a partir de fuentes renovables de aquí a 2030. Pero hay importantes desafíos por delante.

En la COP28 se identificaron muchas acciones que son cruciales para el logro de la neutralidad de carbono en 2050.…  Seguir leyendo »

People rally in Wad Madani, Sudan, in December 2023. (Photo by AFP via Getty Images)

On 8 March, the UN Security Council adopted a UK-drafted resolution calling for an immediate cessation of hostilities in Sudan during the month of Ramadan, a sustainable resolution to the conflict through dialogue, compliance with international humanitarian law and unhindered humanitarian access.

Eleven months into the war, this is the first time that the Council has been able to agree on a resolution. The mandate of the UN Panel of Experts that monitors the sanctions regime in Darfur was also renewed by the Council. Does this signify hope that efforts to end the war might gather momentum? Or is Sudan likely to face a protracted conflict?…  Seguir leyendo »

El gran impulso que necesitan las mujeres africanas para escapar de la pobreza

¿Qué tienen en común la pobreza, el cambio climático y el conflicto? Que son unos de los mayores desafíos que enfrenta África, y afectan desproporcionadamente a las mujeres que viven en la pobreza o marginadas. Tanto las investigaciones como la experiencia han demostrado el enorme potencial que ellas tienen para mejorar el bienestar de sus familias y comunidades.

Los países africanos que procuran impulsar el desarrollo sostenible —y abordar el triple desafío de la pobreza, el cambio climático y el conflicto— deben ayudar a las mujeres en situación de pobreza a realizar su potencial. Los responsables políticos pueden —invirtiendo en intervenciones basadas en evidencia que aumentan el control de las mujeres sobre sus ingresos, la posesión de activos productivos y la toma de decisiones en el hogar, y aumentando su escala— aumentar el capital humano, mejorar la igualdad de género y ampliar las oportunidades económicas inclusivas.…  Seguir leyendo »

The conversation on reforming the global financial architecture has often felt more like Africa against the rest of the world, but the tide is turning. Governments north and south agree that there is something fundamentally wrong with the system and it must be fixed. As the leaders of Ghana, Kenya and Zambia, we have first-hand experience of the precarious financial situation facing many African countries, especially when it comes to debt and development finance. And we are all too familiar with the flaws in the system that is in place to confront these challenges.

The current system needs more than just adjustment—it needs an overhaul.…  Seguir leyendo »

Children look at burnt out trucks that were destroyed during the war on Feb. 18 in Tigray Region, Ethiopia. Ed Ram/Getty Images

Ethiopia is putting the finishing touches on a much-trumpeted initiative for transitional justice in the wake of a devastating civil war in the northern Tigray region.

There is much popular demand for such an initiative. Ethiopians of all stripes now say they want accountability: In late December, a Justice Ministry body tasked with developing the policy in accordance with the November 2022 peace agreement, signed in South Africa between the government and the Tigrayan People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), revealed a consensus on the need for prosecution of those responsible for the most heinous war crimes. It came hot on the heels of the state-affiliated Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) releasing its own recommendations, which also listed criminal accountability among an array of transitional justice components.…  Seguir leyendo »

Political parties (Isanco, DA, IFP, FF Plus, ActionSA, UIM, ADCP and SNP) during the Multi-Party Charter at Birchwood Hotel on November 28, 2023 in Boksburg, South Africa. (Photo by OJ Koloti/Gallo Images via Getty Images)

South Africa’s ruling ANC party launched its manifesto last week, but the background for the event was worrying for party leaders.

Polls indicate that 2024’s general election, scheduled for 29 May, could see the ANC get below 50 per cent of the vote for the first time since 1994 – bringing about multi-party government for the first time. That will be a significant inflection point for South Africans, and for the region.

But progress towards democratic pluralism would be a fulfilment of South Africa’s constitution, which imagined a more diverse political landscape, and is intentionally structured around quasi-federalist political institutions and consociationalism.…  Seguir leyendo »

Bertram Schmitt, judge at the International Criminal Court, has expressed "the hope that sooner or later - sooner rather than later", the victims of Dominic Ongwen's crimes will receive their compensation, but who can find the 52 million euros awarded by the ICC? © ICC-CPI

By the time I made my way over to the courtroom entrance at 14:45 on February 28, the queue for courtroom security was longer than many of those I have stood in at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport. It seemed to be mainly composed, however, of a university class visit and staff from the International Criminal Court (ICC), rather than NGOs and other external parties. A few members of the press made their way past to take the elevator to the media room, as we all trooped into Courtroom I. Loud and excited chatter quickly gave way to hushed silence as a security guard gave two loud claps, called for quiet, and reminded us to stand “in respect for the judges” once the curtains opened.…  Seguir leyendo »

Sudanese refugees in Adre, Chad, August 2023. Zohra Bensemra / Reuters

A humanitarian and human rights catastrophe is unfolding in Sudan. With nearly 11 million people already displaced—three million of them children—the country is now home to the most people rendered homeless by conflict worldwide, and its populace sits poised on the brink of a major famine. A collapsing medical system renders the war’s true death toll unknown. Sudan’s capital, Khartoum, is being destroyed block by block.

It may be tempting to think of this tragedy as another episode in a multi-decade conflict. The main combatants—the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the paramilitary group that the SAF organized out of the militias known as the Janjaweed—also helped drive the war in Darfur 20 years ago.…  Seguir leyendo »

¿Cómo financiar la educación superior en África?

El campus de la Université Cheikh Anta Diop (UCAD) de Senegal, una de las mayores instituciones de educación superior de África, está cerrado desde junio del año pasado, tras manifestaciones estudiantiles violentas contra el encarcelamiento del principal líder de la oposición senegalesa. El prolongado cierre dificulta la vida de los estudiantes de la UCAD (muchos de los cuales tienen su residencia habitual en el campus) y el funcionamiento de la institución, ya que el acceso a clases virtuales es limitado.

Las divergencias educativas que se han vuelto visibles agravan desigualdades, avivan tensiones sociales y ponen en riesgo la reputación del sistema de educación superior senegalés.…  Seguir leyendo »

A woman walks by banners dedicated to the African Union in Addis Ababa on February 15, 2024 (Photo by Michele Spatari / AFP via Getty Images)

Africa witnessed a spate of cyberattacks in 2023, against African Union Commission (AUC) systems, Kenyan government data systems, and Nigerian election infrastructure among others.

The attacks seem to have served as a wake-up call for the AU, driving its Peace and Security Council (PSC) to make cybersecurity a key agenda point at this year’s summit, held in Addis Ababa.

Real achievements were made: African heads of state addressed a number of cybersecurity related matters – the first notable action on the issue since the AU created its Digital Transformation Strategy for Africa (DTS) in February 2020.

At the summit the AUC was directed to expedite the development of a Continental Cybersecurity Strategy.…  Seguir leyendo »

Mohamed VI, dispuesto a recibir a Pedro Sánchez tras felicitar a los Reyes y destensar la crisis

Las relaciones bilaterales hispano-marroquíes pasan por el mejor momento de su historia. El encuentro celebrado el día 7 de abril de 2022 entre el rey de Marruecos Mohamed VI y el presidente Pedro Sánchez dio comienzo a un nuevo tiempo en la relación entre ambos países. Desde entonces, tanto el ministro marroquí Bourita como el español Albares, han trabajado de modo discreto y eficaz para fortalecer las relaciones mutuas.

Hemos tenido confrontaciones en el pasado, incluida una complicada relación colonial. Recuérdese, por ejemplo, la participación de soldados marroquíes en la sublevación franquista o que los dos leones del Congreso de los Diputados son del bronce fundido de cañones marroquíes capturados en 1860.…  Seguir leyendo »

Marruecos y España, relaciones de razón y corazón

En una de sus entrevistas, Pedro Sánchez decía que “somos países aliados, vecinos y hermanos”. Es la percepción que sentimos del momento histórico de las relaciones bilaterales entre España y Marruecos después del 7 de abril del 2022.

Marruecos y España: no sólo estamos geográficamente cerca; somos dos naciones que comparten una historia centenaria y un destino común. La relación entre ambos países es una relación de corazón y de razón. De corazón, dado el vínculo humano que siempre ha existido entre estos dos pueblos a lo largo de la historia. Y de razón, dada la convergencia de sus intereses estratégicos en la región.…  Seguir leyendo »

Depuis 2018 et son arrivée dans le Sahel via la Centrafrique, le groupe s'illustre par ses exactions. Loin de contribuer à la pacification de la région, le groupe mercenaire participe au chaos ambiant : trafics, criminalité, exécutions sommaires, désinformation, etc. Cette prédation aggrave l'instabilité de la région prise dans le maelstrom des conflits intercommunautaires et des trafics illégaux (minerais, migrants, stupéfiants, armes, etc.). Car c'est bien la soif d'or qui aiguise l'appétit des mercenaires.

Si le groupe Wagner est une extension du Kremlin, il n'en reste pas moins une société militaire privée (SMP) répondant à des impératifs de rentabilité. L'exploitation de l'or fait partie de son modèle économique.…  Seguir leyendo »

A rebel convoy in North Darfur province, Sudan, 2009. Jérôme Tubiana

In 2009 Arbab, a tall, slim, thirty-five-year-old man, was driving a pickup truck in North Darfur province, part of a rebel convoy that had crossed into Sudan from Chad. Aside from a small circle in the windshield through which to see the road, his vehicle was covered in mud, making for a stark contrast with his perfectly clean uniform. The guerillas were trying to hide from the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF), whose fighter jets nonetheless launched optimistic volleys at their convoy.

The conflict in Darfur, a region the size of France in the west of Sudan, had begun in 2003. It pitted two rebel forces, largely drawn from local non-Arab communities, against the central government of President Omar al-Bashir.…  Seguir leyendo »

Fortalecer los programas sanitarios comunitarios de África

En 2017, los jefes de Estado de la Unión Africana prometieron desplegar dos millones de trabajadores sanitarios comunitarios (CHW por su sigla en inglés), conscientes de la importancia de su tarea a la hora de promover la salud para todos. Ya transcurrieron siete años y, en tanto los líderes africanos se aprontan para reunirse en Addis Ababa, debemos reflexionar sobre nuestro progreso. Para 2030, África enfrentará una escasez de seis millones de trabajadores de la salud, lo que hace que los CHW sean un componente clave y una solución rápida para cubrir las necesidades sanitarias del continente. Desarrollar programas de trabajadores sanitarios comunitarios resilientes en toda África nunca ha sido más urgente.…  Seguir leyendo »

Chair of the African Union Azali Assoumani with Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni at the Italy-Africa summit in Rome, 29 January 2024. Photograph: Fabio Frustaci/EPA

Not so long ago, Giorgia Meloni was calling for naval blockades along the African coastline and regaling her millions of supporters with white-nationalist conspiracy theories. Now, just over a year into her mandate, Italy’s far-right prime minister has radically sanitised her discourse. Last week, at a summit in Rome, Meloni declared that Europe’s “paternalistic” approach to Africa had failed. From now on, she promised, Italy would be pursuing a “mutually beneficial” cooperation “among equals”, free from the “predatory impositions” of the past.

As a gesture towards this new approach, the government has pledged more than €5.5bn (£4.7bn) to fund energy, education, healthcare and agriculture initiatives in Morocco, Ivory Coast, Algeria, Mozambique, Egypt, the Republic of the Congo and others.…  Seguir leyendo »

Girls dressed in the colours of the Somali flag participate in a demonstration supporting Somalia’s government following the port deal signed between Ethiopia and the breakaway region of Somaliland. January 3, 2024. ABDISHUKRI HAYBE / AFP

The Somali government has a crucial year ahead in 2024. Its offensive against Al-Shabaab, the Islamist insurgency besetting the country since 2007, has sputtered since making important gains in the second half of 2022. The government promises to “eliminate” the group by year’s end, but the goal seems beyond reach. For one thing, Mogadishu will likely soon have less help: the AU Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) that augments its campaign is to wind down in December, and discussions about a multilateral follow-on force are just getting started. The prospect of state-level elections has already reignited political and clan tensions. Additionally, as part of its plan to complete a provisional constitution, the government seeks wide-ranging changes to the electoral code ahead of national elections slated for 2026.…  Seguir leyendo »

A man holds a sign reading “Liberate Africa” during a gathering in Niamey when thousands of people celebrated the departure, a week before, of the last French soldiers deployed in Niger. December 29, 2023. BOUREIMA HAMA / AFP

Each of three countries of the central Sahel – Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger – has seen major upheaval in the years since 2021, bringing the region into a new chapter. Army officers in all three have seized power through bloodless coups, alienating France, the states’ chief foreign patron, and forging links among one another to better resist external pressure. These regimes, bent on, as they see it, restoring sovereignty over all their territory and doubling down on operations against jihadist militants that have bedevilled the Sahel in recent decades, are channelling scant resources to military campaigns at the expense of delivering basic public services.…  Seguir leyendo »

Demonstrating in support of Ibrahim Traoré, Burkina Faso’s self-declared leader, in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, October 2022. Vincent Bado / Reuters

The eight coups d’état that have rocked Africa’s Sahel region since 2020 are a flashing, red-light warning: Washington’s efforts to stabilize the region have failed. For too long, the United States has acted on the assumption that jihadi terrorism is the source of the Sahel’s crises and therefore funneled military assistance to the governments fighting it. But Washington must jettison that misconception. The extremist violence and wave of coups that have plagued the region are twin symptoms of a deeper problem: corrupt, failed governance that radicalizes civilians and soldiers alike. Outside efforts to solve the Sahel crises must shift their focus away from security assistance aimed at reinforcing countries’ combat proficiency and toward building responsive governance that grants Africans, particularly youths, the promise of a brighter future.…  Seguir leyendo »

South Africa Sees Its Moral Conscience in a Genocide Case

Earlier this month, I went with my 18-year-old daughter to see the South African singer Thandiswa Mazwai perform with her band at a music festival in Manhattan.

Many of my fellow South African expatriates were in the audience. As we took our seats, my daughter, Rosa, noticed concertgoers waving South African flags. You rarely see such displays outside political or sporting events, but many South Africans seem to be having a moment of self-assertion and patriotism now that our government has brought a genocide case against Israel to the International Court of Justice in The Hague for its actions in Gaza, solidifying its place on the world stage in solidarity with Palestinians.…  Seguir leyendo »