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Protesters burn tires as they block a road during demonstrations called by opposition parties in the Senegalese capital Dakar on Feb. 4, 2024, to protest the postponement of the presidential election. Protesters and police clashed, a day after President Macky Sall announced the indefinite postponement of the election. (Photo by JOHN WESSELS/AFP via Getty Images)

US Government’s $300 Million for West Africa — How to Make it Count

To turn the tide in democracies under stress, the US needs to balances near-term increases in stability with aid for democratic governance.
Mothers form the front line of a protest march toward Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse on July 20, 2020 in Portland, Oregon.

The Right to Protest Is Under Assault. Frontline Activists Show How to Fight Back.

Governments around the world are cracking down on protest rights; activists are documenting the playbook and building their own.
A banner calling for the departure of the French Army from Niger is seen as supporters of Niger's ruling military junta, the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland (CNSP), demonstrate in Niamey on August 10, 2023. West African leaders on Thursday increased their threat of imminent military action against Niger after the country's coup leaders moved to consolidate their control two weeks after seizing power. At an emergency summit of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), members decided "to order the deployment of the ECOWAS standby force to restore constitutional order in Niger," its Commission President Omar Touray said. (Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images),

West Africa’s Grim Trajectory

The Niger coup is part of a cascade of crises that underscore democratic backsliding and the need for a broad regional strategy.
A woman walks through a structure erected for newly arrived IDPs (Internally Displaced People) where people and children sit in clusters on the floor in Pulka on August 1, 2018.

Forced Abortion as an International Crime: Recent Reports from Northern Nigeria

"Calls for accountability for ... forced abortion in Nigeria form part of a broader trend in scholarship and practice, where reproductive violence is increasingly being recognized…
Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) speaks at a news conference on government spending at the U.S. Capitol Building on December 07, 2022

The FY 2023 NDAA Falls Short on Security Assistance Oversight

The NDAA did little to address the civilian harm, corruption, and weapons diversion linked to U.S. security assistance and cooperation.
Ian James Mwai (R), 23, browses social media platforms on his mobile phone with a member of his outfit of social media influencers at an office in Thika town, central Kenya on April 26, 2022. He was in the vanguard of the growing ranks of influencers feverishly punching keyboards and hoping to tilt the outcome of the country's high-stakes elections, being conducted today, Aug. 9. The rising dominance of apps like Twitter and Facebook has opened a new front in Kenyan politics, with candidates desperate to draw the attention of the country's 12 million social media users.

Banning Content Platforms is Not a Solution to Hate Speech on the Internet, Even When the Platform is Meta

Governments should recognize that pulling the plug on the internet – or on an entire social media platform – is not a viable solution to the spread of hate speech or misinformation…
A man carries a banner during a demonstration at Ojota in Lagos on June 12, 2021, as Nigerian activists called for nationwide protests over what they criticise as bad governance and insecurity, as well as the recent ban of US social media platform Twitter by the government of President Muhammadu Buhari. - Hundreds of protesters gathered on June 12, 2021 in Lagos, a sprawling megapolis of over 20 million people, and police fired tear gas to disperse the crowd. (Photo by PIUS UTOMI EKPEI / AFP) (Photo by PIUS UTOMI EKPEI/AFP via Getty Images)

What Elon Musk Does Not Get about Twitter and Democracy in Africa

Deferring to local laws to determine the bounds of free speech on Twitter - and Musk has suggested doing - would jeopardize hard-won democratic freedoms in Africa.
Supporters of the "Coalition of Northern Groups" (CNG) rally to urge authorities to rescue hundreds of abducted schoolboys, in northwestern state of Katsina, Nigeria on December 17, 2020. One sign reads, “End Boko Haram” and another reads, “Insecurity in the North in Bad Condition Appalling Failure…”

The Politics of Repatriation and Power of Community Reintegration in Peacebuilding

Communities victimized by conflict may be remarkably receptive to the return of former fighters.
A students carries bags and luggage across the main gate as they leave as directed by authorities of the University of Lagos to halt the spread of Covid-19 on Campus in Yaba, Lagos, on July 15, 2021. Some students wear masks.

Living with Two Pandemics: COVID-19 Amid Insecurity in Nigeria

Vaccinations remain in single digits, even as multiple types of violence spread. Yet international aid stands at 20 percent of the need.
A protestor holds a sign reading, “Digital Right is Human Right” during a demonstration at Ojota in Lagos on June 12, 2021. Other protestors stand in the background.

Nigeria’s Twitter Ban Is a Bellwether Case for Internet Freedom

When Twitter removed his post, President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria banned the site. Other leaders may follow suit.
Security Council members hold a videoconference to announce the outcome of the votes in connection with Libya and Libya sanctions.

National Security This Week at the United Nations (April 16-23)

Guilty Verdict in Derek Chauvin’s Trial in the Killing of George Floyd Welcomed by U.N.  On April 20, Derek Chauvin, a White former Minneapolis police officer, was convicted…
People gather at a candle-light vigil on March 04, 2021 in Bangkok, Thailand, for anti-coup protesters who have been killed in Myanmar following the military coup on February 1st. They carry flowers, candles, and flags and banners.

National Security This Week at the United Nations (Feb 26-March 5)

Myanmar coup may be on Security Council agenda; ICC opens investigation on Palestine; COVAX delivers vaccine in Africa; and more in the weekly roundup.
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