Identified as a “shadow pandemic” by UN Women, domestic abuse has skyrocketed under global lockdown. UN chief António Guterres has urged all governments to increase their response to this epidemic and to prioritize the physical and emotional safety of survivors at all costs. However, with isolation measures facilitating and exacerbating
In 2018, it was estimated that as many as nine Islamic State ‘cells’ existed across Africa. Whilst lacking their predecessor’s numerical support and contiguous geographical influence, today they constitute a growing menace across the entire continent. Groups professing the ideology of IS now occupy territory in North, West, Central, East
As uncertainty reigns across the globe, Russian geopolitical scheming appears to remain as one of few inevitable certainties. In Mozambique, as in Sudan and the C.A.R. before it, Kremlin affiliated PMC ‘Wagner’ has embedded itself within an intra-state conflict in the hope of advancing Moscow’s strategic international agenda. Combining boots
As Syria begins to officially register its first Covid-19 fatalities, how long before an already gargantuan humanitarian tragedy plumbs new depths? The Syrian health ministry reported the loss of one woman on Sunday 29 March, with a further fatality the following day. To date there have been around two dozen
Earlier this month on 6 February, the global humanitarian community celebrated International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). Officially established by the United Nations General Assembly, the day promotes awareness of the practice of FGM and lobbies for its total elimination. Aimed at ending FGM within a
After a year in power, is the presidency of Felix Tshisekedi fated to fulfil the old adage: ‘plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose’? 900,000 refugees and 500,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) still in a state of flux within Congo’s borders. A nationwide measles epidemic that has killed 6,000—double the
Following the Berlin summit, serious questions remain concerning French involvement in Libya. Do French interests align with UN resolutions and can President Macron remain committed to promises on domestic security whilst toeing the international line? Present at Sunday’s summit were Fayez al-Saraj, prime minister of the UN-backed Government of National
Just prior to a Berlin-based summit aimed at negotiating peace in Libya’s deleterious civil war, optimism surrounding a potential accord was significantly diminished by the intransigence of the conflict’s principal warring factions. Called to an impromptu meeting in Moscow on Monday 13 January, even the strong-arming influence of Russia and
