Somali Diaspora in Africa and Giving Back to Somalia

 The August 2026 issue of Africa Spectrum includes an "Introduction to the Special Issue: Giving in Somali Diaspora Humanitarianism in Africa" by Nauja Kleist and Mark Bardbury.

The articles in this special issue of Africa Spectrum demonstrate that Somali diaspora humanitarian engagement is continuously evolving and comes in many forms.  It is influenced by gender, generation, educational background, and socio-economic circumstances.  

The issue is unique in that it focuses on the Somali diaspora in a number of African countries and not the diaspora in North America or Europe.  

Chinese Nationals Plead Guilty to Cybercrime in Zambia

 The BBC published on 5 June 2024 an article titled "Chinese Nationals Ran Cybercrime Syndicate from Zambia" by Wycliffe Muia.

Twenty-two Chinese nationals pleaded guilty to committing cyber-related crimes in Zambia.  They were among seventy-seven persons, mostly Zambian nationals, arrested in April in connection with the fraud.  The company that organized the cybercrime was the Chinese-run Golden Top Support Services.  

Russia's Disinformation Campaign in Africa

 The Washington Post published on 21 October 2023 an article titled "Spy vs Spy: How Israelis Tried to Stop Russia's Information War in Africa" by Elizabeth Dwoskin.

Russia has been running a successful information campaign using social media that was crucial in evicting French forces and UN peacekeepers in Mali and in establishing new alliances in the Sahel region.  Western governments have failed to appreciate the impact of Russia's online strategy in Africa, which includes both covert operations and more public ones such as paying local influencers to fly to Russia.