The involvement of women and girls in terrorist attacks has attracted increased interest in East Africa. This is because they have been identified as able recruiters for the Somali-based Al-Shabaab as well as masterminds of deadly attacks, enablers in logistical planning, financial transactions and espionage. Fathima Azmiya Badurdeen explains what’s behind the willingness of women and girls in Kenya’s coastal region to join the terrorist group. While the gender-dynamics of submission and subordination within families and the community play a part, there are also political and ideological motivations.

Clashes in Mogadishu between protestors and government forces underscore heightened tensions about delays in holding elections in Somalia. Mohammed Ibrahim Shire looks at what’s holding up the polls, and what light there is at the end of the tunnel.

In the award of child custody, the chief consideration should be what’s in the best interest of the child. But this doesn’t happen in many cases in Nigeria. As Lorretta Favour Chizomam Ntoimo explains, the country’s plural legal systems – customary and religious – put the rights of men ahead of children and women. The result is that in custody cases decided by the customary and religious courts, custody is mostly granted to fathers, disregarding the interest and welfare of children.

Facebook has blocked access to news websites for its Australian users in response to legislation that aims to force it to bargain with publishers. The blocked content includes articles produced by The Conversation Australia, but the impact is being felt by all Conversation sites, including The Conversation Africa. We urge you to continue reading our work on our website and sharing it through email or other social media.

Julius Maina

Regional Editor East Africa

Muslim women and children in Lamu in north east Kenya. Al-Shabaab’s recruitment of female members is most evident in coastal and north eastern counties. Photo by Eric Lafforgue/Art in All of Us/Corbis via Getty Images

Why we did it: the Kenyan women and girls who joined Al-Shabaab

Fathima Azmiya Badurdeen, Technical University of Mombasa

Women's motivations for joining terrorist networks belie Kenyan media accounts of naive girls manipulated through romantic notions of Jihadi brides or wives.

What’s behind fresh unrest in Somalia – and what needs to be done

Mohammed Ibrahim Shire, University of Portsmouth

The current tensions have been driven by a delay in elections.The only feasible solution is to ensure that they take place.

Customary law in Nigeria favours men over children in custody cases

Lorretta Favour Chizomam Ntoimo, Federal University, Oye Ekiti

Countries where traditional laws exist must uphold children's rights and push for their best interest.

Science + Technology

Why Ebola is back in Guinea and why the response must be different this time

Jacqueline Weyer, National Institute for Communicable Diseases

The virus is always present in nature and when circumstances allow, it may jump from one species to another.

At last, climate science may be able to predict tropical Atlantic weather better

Hyacinth C. Nnamchi, GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel

With research that offers new insights, there is increased hope for improved climate predictions and better preparation for severe weather conditions.

Arts, Culture + Society

The South African play that’s tackling the scourge of the street drug whoonga

Dylan McGarry, Rhodes University

With the community, the group of theatre-makers and academics created a play that could also serve as a policy brief on what's missing from the battle to reduce drug use in Durban.

Radio in Mali can empower women by remembering they are part of a social web

Emma Heywood, University of Sheffield

Empowerment can mean different things for different women, but access to information is key. In Mali radio is the main source of information.

From our international editions

How are COVID-19 vaccines made? An expert explains

Anne Moore, University College Cork

While some of the authorised COVID-19 vaccines are grown, others are built.

Bringing Mars rocks back to Earth: On Feb. 18, Perseverance Rover landed safely on Mars – a lead scientist explains the tech and goals

Jim Bell, Arizona State University

NASA's Mars 2020 mission has arrived and landed the Perseverance Rover on the red planet. The rover's goal is to collect rock and soil samples to be brought back to Earth in the future.

Why India’s urban poor struggle to transition to clean cooking despite grave health impacts

André Neto-Bradley, University of Cambridge; Rishika Rangarajan, Indian Institute for Human Settlements (IIHS)

What is the best way to help families sustain transition to clean cooking methods? Research in Bangalore, India offers some answers.

We need a green recovery after COVID-19, but banning wildlife trade could do more harm than good

Hollie Booth, University of Oxford

The pandemic has brought humanity’s strained relationship with nature into sharp focus.

En Français

Les conséquences juridiques des blocages de l’aide humanitaire

Eugène Bakama Bope, Université de Lubumbashi

Le blocage de l’aide humanitaire est une violation du droit international. Tout pays qui s’en rend coupable s’expose à une panoplie de sanctions.

Dans les coulisses de la science : « Des pôles à l’équateur, j’étudie les oiseaux et leurs parasites »

Claire Loiseau, Universidade do Porto

De l’Alaska au Golfe de Guinée, une écologue évoque ses missions de terrain et ses recherches sur les impacts des activités humaines sur les oiseaux et leurs pathogènes.

 

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