A Nation’s Discontent The Simmering Uprising in Tanzania
For weeks, Tanzania has pulsed with a slow, steady thrum of discontent. Traders, the lifeblood of Kariakoo, Dar es Salaam's vibrant market, shuttered their stalls, their wares gathering dust in protest. This wasn't a mere closing of doors, it was a slamming fist against a rising tide – a tide of taxes, relentless and suffocating. These taxes, they say, are...
Breakfast in Paris, Hunger in Dakar
I first set foot in Senegal in the mid-2000s. From the moment I landed at Aéroport International Blaise Diagne (Blaise Diagne International Airport), I fell in love with the rhythm of the country, the warmth of its people, the poetry in its Wolof greetings, and the sweet, crimson taste of Bissap juice that seemed to flow everywhere. Senegal was a...
Puntland, the UAE, and Sudan’s Firestorm
I have been watching closely as Sudan’s tragedy deepens, and in that firestorm, Puntland’s name has suddenly been dragged into the smoke. Khartoum has accused Puntland of allowing its port and airport to be used as corridors of war. Sudan alleges that arms and mercenaries passed through Bosaso to feed the RSF. Puntland has denied it, yet the accusation...
Why Burundi is the poorest country in the world
Burundi wears a harsh label. By the simplest yardstick the world loves to quote, GDP per person adjusted for prices, Burundi has spent about a decade at or near the very bottom. On broader human development, it sits in the lowest handful as well. But poorest is a diagnosis, not a destiny. To understand how we got here, we...
President Bassirou Faye, what are you doing in France
I remember the first time I landed in Dakar. The light felt like brass on the skin and the air tasted faintly of salt and bissap. On Gorée Island the stones seemed to whisper, and I left with a vow to take Africa’s sovereignty personally. That is why I watched, with sharpened attention, when on 27 August President Bassirou...
The Case for an All-African Army
In 2003, as Darfur was burning, it wasn’t the West or the UN that stepped up. It was the African Union. With the world watching from the sidelines, the Janjaweed militias, armed and emboldened by Sudan’s government, unleashed terror across the region. Villages were razed, families torn apart, and the word ‘genocide’ was whispered in the halls of power....
African Food Sovereignty – A Matter of Life, Death, and Revival
African Food Sovereignty: A Matter of Life, Death, and Revival The African table is set. Not with the hearty, vibrant meals of millet and roasted plantains but with fast food burgers, soda cans, and instant noodles. This tableau of modern convenience, glistening under artificial light, masquerades as a feast but is in reality a raging battleground. The clamor of health...
Traoré’s Growth from a Civilian into a Brave Soldier
In 2009, with a degree in hand and a burning desire to serve his country, Traoré joined the Burkinabè army. This decision wasn’t driven by the desire for glory or personal gain; rather, it stemmed from a profound sense of duty. He believed that through military service, he could contribute to something greater than himself, and protect the country...
Captain Traoré’s role in the coup before the coup
Kaya sits calmly 100 kilometers northeast of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso’s capital. It’s the fifth-largest town and home to roughly 100,000 people. In January 2022, Captain Ibrahim Traoré was one of these people. He was part of the Army’s 10th Regiment of Command and Support (10th RCAS) based in Kaya. This town would become the last standing force protecting the...
Powerful lessons for Traoré from the People’s Revolution
What had started as rage in the streets of Ouagadougou became, for Traoré, a revelation. Although just another cog in the machine of Compaoré’s army, the events of October 30th opened his eyes to a deeper truth: the people of Burkina Faso had always held the real power. They were the ones who endured the suffocating poverty, the broken...
