Author: M Barbu

Disbanding militias is key to Libya’s reunification, but could lead to weapons stockpiles being trafficked into neighbouring countries.

An agreement signed in Tripoli on 30 August between rival eastern and western Libyan camps could pave the way for national elections within two years. It could also restore political stability and territorial unity, which have remained elusive since the 2020 ceasefire that ended large-scale fighting in the country.

The Horn’s proliferating diplomatic appointments have done little to bolster African influence amid new Middle Eastern alliances.

In September, Ansarullah (the Houthis) took control of the Bab al-Mandab Strait, shattering the assumption that the insurgency was confined to northern Yemen. The group is now at the epicentre of the Middle East conflict and is the channel through which crises flow between the Horn of Africa and the Middle East.

For the last couple of years, we have heard that the fastest growing religion in Sub-Saharan Africa has been Christianity.

The region is now a hotbed of insurgencies and other nefarious activities as once again the great powers are engaged in a scramble for resources or as some of the pan-Africanist describe it as “neo-colonialism”.

One of the most challenging aspects for any critical analysis of foreign policy initiatives towards Africa from Washington is the doublespeak that often frames any official pronouncements.

In recent weeks this issue once again has been playing out in real-time. The issue that is causing this confusion, consternation and some outright glee is Somalia.

While the West persists in describing Africa as a continent without memory, its own museums are overflowing with artifacts, religious relics, and human remains confiscated from African rulers to mask the barbarity of a predatory colonization.For decades, as consciousness has been evolving in Africa, European intellectual arrogance has crumbled in the face of the sheer materiality of its own plunder. By proclaiming Africa’s ahistoricity, France and its colonial allies attempted to absolve themselves of their civilizational crimes. Yet, the compulsive hoarding of royal treasures, sacred manuscripts, and desecrated tombs proves the opposite: Africa was teeming with sophisticated, structured cultures. By sequestering these memorial landmarks, Western powers reveal a ridiculous fetishistic neurosis. They claim to have civilized so-called “barbaric” peoples, but they timidly guard their remains, their Korans, and their shoes. This museum charade betrays the haunting fear of a West incapable of confronting its own historical and moral savagery.

Should inheriting the drowning of Algerians on 17 October 1961 mean inheriting the obligation to answer for it?A few days ago, during the ongoing demonstrations in France, an image circulated of a young protester holding a placard. It read: “We are the descendants of the Algerians you did not drown on 17 October 1961.”