www.tandfonline.com/eprint/SPRG4... Incredibly important piece of research! And glad to see it out finally. Mehdi’s work on Amhara nationalism is based on incredible access and data.

The next time, I am asked what people can do with a degree in African Studies, I can finally say 'they can become mayor of New York.'

One of the wildest aspects of covering global politics over the past ~20 yrs is all the raging debates over how to protect the US-built global order from being reconfigured or replaced by China, and in the end the US just decided to walk away from it altogether.

The drums of war have not been as loud as they are today in my life time. Even in 2020, the explicit nature of the statements and manufacturing of consent was not where it is today. The rhetoric is off the charts. foreignpolicy.com/2025/10/21/e...

A case of choosing your case studies to fit your narrative. To see the RSF as 'secessionist' also does not do justice to its ambitions of taking over the Sudanese state. www.middleeasteye.net/big-story/ab...

All Protocol Observed Welcome to Issue 218 of The Continent El Fasher has fallen — the last Darfuri city to resist the Rapid Support Forces. After a 500-day siege, the Sudanese army withdrew, leaving 250,000 civilians at the mercy of genocidal militias. bit.ly/218_TC

The RSF says it has captured the city of El-Fasher, which it has besieged since May 2024, as Sudan's brutal civil war rages on. Famine was declared in a displacement camp there last August, while 260,000 people have been trapped inside the city itself without aid

Hundreds of Kenyan youth have been lured to the Russian frontline in Ukraine with promises of work, visas and pay in exchange for fighting for Russia. Others were told they would be going to Russia for higher education only to be sent to the frontline.

„The Djibouti Ports and Free Zones Authority (DPFZA) has announced the signing of a 30-year concession agreement granting Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Gateway Terminal (RSGT) operational rights to manage and develop the Port of Tadjourah.“ www.dawan.africa/news/djibout...

In 2024, the IOM tracked 446,000 people leaving the Horn of Africa via the “Eastern route”, crossing into Yemen to reach the Arabian Gulf. Ninety-six percent were Ethiopian, and a third of those were Tigrayan – although Tigrayans make up only 6% of Ethiopia’s population.

This is what entitlement feels and sounds like.

Please join us for the Northeast African Forum, 28 October, 4pm UK time. Dr Prince Guma will be presenting 'Digital scapes beyond capture? How resistance movements in Africa are shaping the way we think' *Hybrid event* Full details & webinar registration: talks.ox.ac.uk/talks/id/d2a...

I have organised an amazing roster of *virtual* presentations for the Centre for Gulf Studies at Exeter. Check out these incredible superstars, and register for the events (Tuesdays 17-18.30 London time) here: www.exeter.ac.uk/research/cen...

“Ultimately, the collective strategy of AI companies threatens to deskill precisely those people who are essential for society to function(…) automation of knowledge and culture by private companies is a worrying prospect – conjuring dystopian and outright fascistic scenarios.” — @olivia.science

This week's issue also includes my tribute to Sudan's Emergency Response Rooms, which ought to have won the Nobel peace prize (but didn't thanks to politics) www.economist.com/middle-east-...

The IAS is pleased to announce the publication of the new NAB. 🎉 This edition offers a comprehensive look back at the IAS’s initiatives, projects, & events throughout 2024. 👉 You can access the digital version directly here: www.ias.uni-bayreuth.de/de/IAS-Publi... @africamultiple.bsky.social

Please join the Northeast Africa Forum on 21 Oct: Matthew Benson-Strohmayer (@lseechist.bsky.social) will present, 'Of Rule not Revenue: Rethinking fiscal governance and predatory peace in #Sudan and #SouthSudan' *Hybrid event* Full details & webinar registration: talks.ox.ac.uk/talks/id/638...

“Indonesia, Azerbaijan and Pakistan are the top contenders to supply troops for a future stabilization force in the Gaza Strip, according to a U.S. defense official and a former U.S. defense official granted anonymity to discuss sensitive ongoing discussions.” www.politico.com/news/2025/10...

Deep-Dive in die Geopolitik des #GERD beim @faznet.bsky.social Podcast mit Zitaten von yours truly. #Äthiopien #HornvonAfrika www.faz.net/podcasts/f-a...

Making my way through this collection. Appreciate @terrefebiruk.bsky.social's contribution, 'Beyond Polarization: Rethinking “Multipolarity” in #Ethiopia’s Urban Space'. This is a nice point, in particular, on the limits of state-level units of analysis in a 'multipolar' context.

It's not news that Europe is slow But to read that - 35 articles in a state newspaper (public!) assessing China's chokepoints - 7 years before the policy discussion properly started here, is tragic US & China are going for the jugular. EU sharpens its quill for another roadmap

Welcome to Brussels, President Taye Atske Selassie 🇪🇹 Today, we are expanding our cooperation on digital, energy and health. As well on migration management, peace and security.

#Drones are changing the face of war. African non-state armed groups are turning towards drones: This project explores how they are reshaping #warfare and what can be done to curb their proliferation. Find out more: shorturl.at/5LT5R

➡️ New @megatrends-afrika.de #WorkingPaper with @idos-research.bsky.social contribution. 📚 www.megatrends-afrika.de/en/publicati...

📢 New study alert! Leverage and Limits: What African Actors Make of the New #Multipolarity explores how #Africa navigates a new world order. 18 authors, 8 chapters, and 1 deep dive into security, democracy, trade, infrastructure, minerals, digital policy and urban development. 🧵

New article 'Looking for the local: The Politics of Humanitarian Recruitment in DRC' reveals how aid agencies can fuel social tensions when the 'local' aid category interacts with existing discourses around belonging, authority, and territory muse.jhu.edu/pub/35/artic...

“Foreign Minister Gedion Timothewos said that the “collusion between the Eritrean government and the hardliner faction of the TPLF has become more evident over the past few months.” addisstandard.com/ethiopia-acc...

Join us in person or (like me) mainly online!

Here’s the term card for the Northeast Africa Forum in Oxford, a research seminar focused on the broader East Africa region. We meet on Tuesdays at 4 p.m., and most sessions are also held in hybrid format. @jasonmosley.bsky.social @mwangimwaura.bsky.social @terrefebiruk.bsky.social

"Jenseits der #Staatsraison" für eine Neue Deutsche Nahostpolitik, die sich klar zum Völkerrecht bekennt Ich bin froh dieses Papier unterzeichnet zu haben 👇Papier auf deutsch & englisch staatsraison.net/en/coming-so... 👇Bundespressekonferenz der Initiatoren www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0Zr...

How UAE built a circle of bases to control Gulf of Aden - https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/uae-yemen-somalia-circle-bases-control-gulf-of-aden

BYD is reshaping Kazakhstan’s EV landscape by prioritizing electric buses over cars. Leveraging government incentives, stable contracts, and depot-based charging, the company positions itself as a key partner in urban transport modernization.

Reminder that applications for the UTA-Do 2026 workshop happening in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from February 9-13 are still open. This time round, we have 10 full scholarships available through the Wagon2Africa project. Read more here: sites.google.com/view/uta-do/... Apply by 30 September 2025!

The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam #GERD will be inaugurated next week. It’s part of a much larger story that we’ve attempted to capture in our book. 👇🏽

Applications still open for EU applicants until early October! Applications to MA in African Studies remain open, so if you want to start an interdisciplinary social science Master's degree in October with a regional focus on Africa, apply now! www.ma-african-studies.uni-bayreuth.de/en/index.html

EU's Global Gateway study on 11 transport corridors: "All scenarios presume stable political and security situation. [...] No field visits have been performed, but the EU Delegations in Africa provided extremely useful local insights." Get serious. publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/h...

The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam and the Nile Basin 10 years on: are we any further forward? www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

An der Stelle mal reminder, dass das @miasa-ug.bsky.social in Kooperation mit der University of Ghana jährlich eine Anton-Wilhelm-Amo lecture abhält, die aktuelle Themen in der afrikanischen Philosophie aufgreift und per Zoom übertragen wird sowie auf YouTube als Aufnahme verfügbar ist:

EVENT REPORT | LAUNCH OF EWNET The inaugural event brought together women researchers in Ethiopia through keynotes, discussions and shared experiences. Read the report: bit.ly/3Uwavgi

Apply for the UTA-Do 2026 workshop happening in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from February 9-13. This time round, we have 10 full scholarships available through the Wagon2Africa project. Read more here: sites.google.com/view/uta-do/... Apply by 30 September 2025!

Your regular reminder to write, rewrite, and keep writing your own stories, with a good faith effort to maintain fidelity to truth.

Also please do keep an eye on (or subscribe to!) @rvinews.bsky.social's YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@riftvalleyi... A lot of great content there, including interviews, highlights and full recordings from recent Nairobi Forum events.

How German media outlets helped pave the way for Israel’s murder of journalists in Gaza - my latest @theguardian.com www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

The world’s largest fund has divested its stakes in 11 Israeli companies and is reviewing more.