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Tensions between Eritrea and Djibouti have flared again after Qatar pulled out its troops from their disputed border. This followed Qatar’s standoff with its Arab neighbours, a conflict that could easily spill over into the Horn of Africa, warns Martin Plaut.
Lesotho’s Prime Minister Tom Thabane says he thinks it’s possibly time to get rid of the country’s army entirely. Roger Southall explains why this might not be a bad idea.
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A Djibouti soldier along the border with Eritrea after conflict flared in 2008.
Reuters/Omar Hassan
Martin Plaut, School of Advanced Study
Qatar withdrawing its troops has reignited tensions between Eritrea and Djibouti which the UN and African Union are trying to mediate. This comes as Eritrea is also embroiled in the Yemen civil war.
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Politics + Society
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Roger Southall, University of the Witwatersrand
Politics in Lesotho can look incredibly complicated, with a mish-mash of competing political parties and repeated military interventions. It’s a mess, but it’s not that hard to unravel.
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Liz Alden Wily, Leiden University
The African court has demonstrated its autonomy in a continent where judicial independence remains shaky in many states.
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Business + Economy
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Misheck Mutize, University of Cape Town; Sean Gossel, University of Cape Town
Reforming South Africa’s state owned enterprises should start with greater accountability and financial responsibility.
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Felix Stein, University of Cambridge; Devi Sridhar, University of Edinburgh
A dubious deal with the Trumps has sparked criticism of the World Bank, but attention should be focused elsewhere.
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From our international editions
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Bharath Ganesh, University of Oxford
A man has been arrested after driving a van into worshippers near a mosque in north London.
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Matthew Robert Bennett, Bournemouth University
There is a direct correlation between the age of the builder, spade size and the speed at which boredom sets in.
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Adam Taylor, Lancaster University
A man in China had 12kg of compacted faeces and a large part of his gut removed by surgeons. The patient was suffering from a rare disorder known as Hirschsprung’s disease.
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