One Person's Prescription for Salvaging Ethiopia's Tigray Region

 Ethiopia Insight published on 9 July 2025 a commentary titled "Daring the Untried: Struggling for a New Path in Ethiopia's Tigray Region" by Getachew Gebrekiros Temare, lawyer and peace activist. 

Tigray is adrift and no longer a unified region following a war with the central government that ended with the Pretoria Agreement in 2022.  The crisis is political, moral, generational, and spiritual.  There is an absence of transformative political vision and external players have become indifferent. 

The author argues for development of a nonviolent civic movement grounded in grassroots legitimacy and detached from party control.  It must promote truth-telling, communal healing, and justice that goes beyond rhetoric.  Tigray's future will not be salvaged by secret deals or new wars.

Ethiopia: Tigray's Hijacked Transition

 Ethiopia Insight published on 14 May 2025 a commentary titled "Tigray's Hijacked Transition" by Weldeslassie Hailai Abera, University of KwaZulu-Natal.  

The author argues that a faction led by Debretsion Gebremichael led an "illegitimate power grab" of the Tigray People's Liberation Front.  He concludes that Tigray's future depends on a fundamental shift: bringing the Tigray Defense Forces under civilian control, dismantling ethnic-based patronage, and empowering youth and the diaspora.  

Podcast on Africa and US Elections

 This is a one hour and 15-minute Beyond Africa podcast with me hosted by Bernard Ngalim.  The major issues discussed are the impact of the upcoming election in the United States on Africa policy, Project 2025 and Africa, trade, aid, investment, and the role of the U.S. private sector.  

Podcast on African Conflict and Development

 The UK-based Centre for African Conflict and Development posted on 22 July 2024 a 44-minute podcast with me titled "Austerity Measures, Right to Protest and Police in Kenya, Africa" hosted by Michael Nwankpa.  

Although focused on Kenya, the host asked questions on a variety of topics ranging across Africa allowing me to offer views on numerous topics based on my association with Africa dating back to the early 1960s.  

Sudanese Youth Groups Make Positive Contribution

 The US Institute of Peace published on 2 May 2023 a commentary titled "Amid Sudan's Chaos, Youth Groups Work for Peace" by Rachel Palermo and Paula Porras Reyes.

In spite of the current violence in Sudan, youth-led groups are combatting misinformation, providing humanitarian aid, and organizing crowd funding to secure food and medicine.  

Young Chinese Seeking Work in Africa

 Sixth Tone published on 22 December 2022 an article titled "With Jobs at Home Scarce, Young Chinese are Heading to Africa" by Li Yijuan.  

As jobs become more scarce in China and trade with Africa is expanding, more young Chinese, especially second tier university graduates, are looking for work in Africa based on social media advertisements.  The author acknowledged it is not clear how many young Chinese are going to Africa to find work.

Panel Discussion on Biden Administration's Africa Strategy

The Philadelphia-based Foreign Policy Research Institute hosted on 20 September 2022 an hour long discussion titled "The Biden Administration's New Africa Strategy" moderated by Charles A. Ray.  The participants were Aurelia Brazeal, retired ambassador, Franklin Moore, former deputy assistant administrator for Africa at USAID, and me.  

The discussion covered most aspects of the Biden administration's policy in Africa, including areas where there needs to be more attention. 

Youth Behind Protests in Sudan

 The Conversation published on 9 February 2022 a commentary titled "Sudan's Protestors Aren't Giving Up Despite Heavy Odds: Here's Why" by Lovise Aalen, Chr. Michelsen Institute, and Mai Azzam, Bayreuth University.

The protests in Sudan are driven by young people who have the energy to keep pushing and little faith that others will make change happen.  

Sudan: A Generational Conflict

 The BBC posted on 22 January 2022 an article titled "Sudan Protesters: Ready to Die for Freedom" by Mohanad Hashim.  

One of the Sudanese protesters describes the protests as a generational conflict with the young wanting a more equitable, peaceful and democratic future.  They want to stop the cycle of military coups and authoritarianism.  

The Power of Sudan's Protest Movement

 The Christian Science Monitor published on 21 January 2022 an article titled "The Power Behind Sudan's Protests."

The article discusses the special spirit behind Sudan's protest movement and especially the role of women, youth, and professionals.  

China and Africa Launch Youth Space Education Program

 Space in Africa published on 7 January 2022 an article titled "China and Africa Are Collaborating on Youth Space Education Programme."

China and African countries launched at the end of 2021 an innovative middle school space education program initiated by the China National Space Administration.  The first training program took place online and engaged students from Egypt and Ethiopia.  

US Strategic Competition with China: Implications for Africa

 Senators Robert Menendez (Democrat of New Jersey) and James Risch (Republican of Idaho) have introduced the "Strategic Competition Act of 2021," which is designed to counter China globally.  

The proposed legislation contains sections (271-276) on Sub-Sahara Africa that call for a series of actions by elements of the US government.  They include:

--A report that assesses the nature and impact of Chinese political, economic, and security sector activity in Africa, and its impact on US strategic interests;

--A report setting forth a multi-year strategy for increasing US economic competitiveness and promoting improvements in the investment climate in Africa, including through support for democratic institutions, the rule of law, improved transparency, anti-corruption, and governance;

--A review of the number of Foreign Commercial Officers and Department of State Economic Officers at US embassies in Sub-Sahara Africa;

--Establishment of an interagency working group to counter Chinese cyber aggression with respect to Africa;

--The commitment of resources to enhance the entrepreneurship and leadership skills of African youth with the objective of enhancing their ability to serve as leaders in the public and private sectors.  This will include the establishment of the Young African Leaders Initiative.  (This is a return to a key component of President Obama's Africa policy); and  

--A report by the US Agency for Global Media on the resources and timeline needed to establish an organization whose mission is to promote democratic values and institutions in Africa.

The Bill contains less detailed sections (281-282) for the Middle East and North Africa.

Comment:  While it is too soon to predict where this Bill is headed, it has bipartisan sponsorship.  It also deals with one of the major omissions of the Trump administration's efforts to counter China in Africa: no new proactive American programs except for the US International Development Finance Corporation.  The reports requested in this Bill are aimed at creating new programs and adding resources.  

Ethiopia's Oromo Youth: Divided and Disaffected?

 Ethiopia Insight posted on 7 April 2021 a commentary titled "Ethiopia's Oromo Youth Are Disaffected--But also Divided, Coopted, and Demoralized" by an anonymous person who lives in Ginchi.  

The author argues that ideological splits among Oromo youth help explain why renewed Oromo discontent is not leading to a resurgent uprising.  

Economic Recovery in Sudan

Chatham House published in October 2019 a report titled "Sudan Stakeholder Dialogues: Options for Economic Stabilization, Recovery and Inclusive Growth" by Ahmed Soliman.

The paper draws together the key themes and findings from three roundtables, ranging from broad structural issues to sector-specific priority interventions. It presents options and recommendations for Sudanese leaders, including the transitional government, in support of building a more economically prosperous, peaceful and inclusive nation.

Preventing Violent Extremism in East Africa

The Institute for Security Studies published in September 2019 a report titled "Preventing Violent Extremism in East Africa: Lessons from Kenya, Somalia, Tanzania and Uganda" by Isel van Zyl and Maram Mahdi.

The report examined initiatives to prevent and counter violent extremism in East Africa to establish their objectives, target groups, activities, theories of change, evaluation approaches, donor organizations, and funding amounts.

South Sudan: New Generation of Leaders Needed

Foreign Policy published on 14 June 2019 a commentary titled "The Old Guard Are Killing the World's Youngest Country" by Zach Vertin.

The author argues that it will take a new generation of young leaders to prevail in South Sudan before it can become a successful state.

Top Priorities for Africa in 2019

Brookings has just released its "Foresight Africa: Top Priorities for the Continent in 2019" edited by Brahima S. Coulibaly.

It contains the following chapters:

--Bolstering good governance: The imperative of inclusion and efficiency.
--Managing debt and mobilizing resources: A delicate balance to sustain economic growth.
--Harnessing Africa's youth dividend: A new approach for large-scale job creation.
--Fixing fragility: The role of the private sector and local institutions.
--Africa's untapped business potential: Countries, sectors, and strategies.
--Boosting trade and investment: A new agenda for regional and international engagement.

Are The Protests in Sudan Different This Time?

The New York Times published on 28 January 2019 a commentary titled "The Strong and Beautiful Message of Sudan's Young Protesters" by Nasredeen Abdulbari, Georgetown University Law Center.

The author suggests that the protests are different than others that have occurred since President Omar al-Bashir took power in 1989. They have broken new ground by emboldening the Sudanese to confront religious leaders and institutions that attempted to discourage people from protesting. At the same time, he acknowledges that al-Bashir has a firm grip on the state, and global pressure following the violent repression of protesters has been weak.

In a factual error, the author says US sanctions were lifted in 2017 by the Trump administration. They were only partially lifted; most of the them remain in effect because Sudan has not been removed from the US list of state sponsors of terrorism.

US-Sudan Relations: A Way Forward

The Atlantic Council published in March 2018 an issue brief titled "Sudan: Soft Power, Cultural Engagement, and National Security" by Tim Carney and Mary Carlin Yates.

As part of a program to improve US-Sudan relations, the authors comment that the reforms necessary to drive real change--improvements in governance, rule of law, human rights, and political participation--are well known and must remain a centerpiece of US-Sudan engagement. They should not, however, take a back seat to narrow counterterrorism concerns.

Ethiopia and the State of Emergency

The Washington Post published on 3 March 2018 an article titled "Under a New State of Emergency, Ethiopia Is on the Brink of Crisis, Again" by Paul Schemm.

The author commented that while the government of Ethiopia sees the current state of emergency--the second in two years--as necessary to restore order required for any reform, critics see it as a way of perpetuating the status quo.