Africa Horn Now

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Africa Horn Now

Archives for December 2016

To lionise dictators like Paul Kagame is to mock those they persecuted

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Anjan Sundaram | Sunday 11 December 2016 | The Guardian Human rights abuses are too often excused by people seeking to venerate postcolonial dictators who stood up to the west Fidel Castro, Vladimir Putin and Paul Kagame are postcolonial dictators. Their grave human rights abuses are often excused or overlooked by supporters who venerate their defiant … [Read more...] about To lionise dictators like Paul Kagame is to mock those they persecuted

Has Africa had its fill of ‘strongmen’?

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Jason Burke | Sunday 11 December 2016 | The Guardian After 38 years during which his family has hoarded wealth and power, Angola’s leader José Eduardo dos Santos is quitting. Is this more evidence of a continent in the process of transition? Under the blistering heat of the southern African sun, the dignitaries did not linger. The ceremony was short. The … [Read more...] about Has Africa had its fill of ‘strongmen’?

The Soccer-Star Refugees of Eritrea

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 Alexis Okeowo | December 12, 2016 Issue | The New Yorker Athletes from the national team plan a mass defection. Around eleven o’clock on the night of October 10, 2015, Samson Arefaine learned that he had been selected to play on the national soccer team of Eritrea, a sliver of a nation in the Horn of Africa. For two months, he had been in a training camp in the … [Read more...] about The Soccer-Star Refugees of Eritrea

Africa is being choked. But corporations leave their grime on us all

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Lola Okolosie | Friday 9 December 2016 | The Guardian Dense, dirty air laced with grease best describes the atmosphere of most Lagos streets. Drive from one corner of this great west African city to another and in no time you will find surfaces lightly dusted, like a soft sprinkling of icing on cakes. Under the half moons of fingernails, thick grime settles. It’s a … [Read more...] about Africa is being choked. But corporations leave their grime on us all

Castro’s troubled legacy in the Horn of Africa: hero or villain?

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Martin Plaut | December 8, 2016 | The conversation In southern Africa, Fidel Castro is almost universally seen as a hero. After all it is the Cuban leader who sent his forces to Angola to halt apartheid South Africa. What southern Africans would easily forget is that Cuban troops were sent to many other African conflicts with mixed results. Professor Piero Gleijeses, … [Read more...] about Castro’s troubled legacy in the Horn of Africa: hero or villain?

The Rise and Fall of the Somali State

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December 8, 2016 | Strafor Forecast Divisions that took root in Somalia after the drastic defeat of its once-strong government will continue to impede efforts to rebuild the country's institutions. Somalia will remain dependent on foreign support, much as it was before the Somali state collapsed. Should a functional, unified Somalia ever emerge, it would spur … [Read more...] about The Rise and Fall of the Somali State

ከፍተን ብናየው? የሻዕቢያና የኦነግ መስተፋቅር

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አስፋ ጫቦ (ዳላስ፣ ቴክሳስ)  | undated | ኢትዮጵያ ዛሬ እንደመግቢያ ዛሬ ትንሽ መጻፍ የፈለኩት በኦሮሞ ነፃነት ግንባር (ኦነግ) እና በኢሳይያስ አፈወርቂ መካከል ያለውን የቆየ ጥብቅ ትስስር በመጠኑ ለመፈተሽ ነው። መነሻ የሆነኝ እንግሊዝ አገር ሎንዶንና አሜሪካ፤ አትላንታ፣ ጆርጂያ የኦሮሞ “ምሁራንና ብሔርተኞች” ያደርጉት ስብሰባና የሰጡት መግለጫ ነው። ያ ራሱን ችሎ መነገር ያለበት ስለሚመስለኝ እመለስበታለሁ። የዚህኛው ዓላማ እዚያ ሰበሰባ ላይ ተካፋይ ከነበሩት “ነፃ አውጭዎች” አንዱን ኦነግን በጨረፍታ ለመታዘብ ነው። እዚያ ከመዝለቄ በፊት ኢሳይያስ አፈወርቂን … [Read more...] about ከፍተን ብናየው? የሻዕቢያና የኦነግ መስተፋቅር