Originally published in the African Union Commission’s “The Bulletin of Fridays of the Commission” Current discussions on Africa–China relations unsatisfactorily focus mainly on China’s interests in Africa and its unconditional assistance extended to undemocratic governments in Africa. Therefore, it is important to discuss bilateral trade and China’s interests in Africa particularly in terms of the ...

Originally published as discussion paper by the European Centre for Development PolicyManagement (ECPDM) The African Governance Architecture (AGA) and African Governance Platform were established in 2011 bythe 16th ordinary session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union (AU).Launched as an effort Òtowards greater unity and integration through shared valuesÓ, ...

Originally published by Al Jazeera as an Op-Ed With more than two million deaths and millions more displaced after a war that has lasted five decades, Africa’s newest nation, South Sudan, is now the first country to be dubbed a “pre-failed” state. An appropriate, if oxymoronic, term suggests that South Sudan, born in July 2011, ...

Originally published by Al Jazeera as an Op-Ed “The IPoE has overwhelmingly agreed that the Renaissance Dam will not bring significant harm to the water security of Egypt and Sudan,” writes the author [Reuters] Plagued by misinformation, misunderstanding and distortion, the debate over the Nile and the new Renaissance Dam should begin with a direct ...

Originally published in the online publication The Global Game has Changed The 4th Africa-EU Summit was held at a unique period due to four important developments: the crises in South Sudan, Central African Republic, and Mali, and the ensuing upheavals in Libya, Egypt and Tunisia, the new leadership at the African Union Commission (AUC), and ...

Originally published as a report by Al Jazeera Center for Studies Held on 29 January 2013 under the chairmanship of Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn, the 20th African Union Ordinary Session in Addis Ababa conducted a pledging conference for the African-led International Support Mission in Mali (AFISMA) and the Malian Defence and Security Forces (MDSF). ...

Originally published in the Journal of Peace Building & Development This article argues that the distressing situation in Somalia offers an opportunity to introduce new legal institutions with less colonial path-dependence and greater sensitivity to the security and development needs of Somalians. Peace and stability could be enhanced by allowing customary law and Islamic courts ...

Originally published in ISPI’s policy brief No region is more plagued with violent conflicts than Africa. The presence of more than 11 peacekeeping missions composed of nearly 50,000 strong UN and AU peacekeepers in areas such as Darfur, Abyei, Somalia and the Democratic Republic of Congo, as well as thousands of western military forces in ...

Originally published in Africa Insight Since 1991, Ethiopia has been implementing an ethno-linguistic federal system. This system established nine ethnically based regional states. In this article, I briefly discuss the moral and legal justification of group (collective) rights of ethno-cultural communities and introduces the concept of ethnic federalism in general, and Ethiopian ethnic federalism in ...

Originally published in 2007 in the Federations, Multiethnic Ethiopia has miraculously remained intact despite a dizzying 30 years that has seen it go from a monarchy to communism to a transition to democracy all while having to endure several droughts, famines and oppressive poverty. Its strength and its capacity to endure seem to lie in ...