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Ethiopia is gearing up for a general election next week amid deep tensions and uncertainty worsened by the ongoing conflict in Tigray. The sense of crisis would have been hard to contemplate only three years ago when prime minister Abiy Ahmed burst onto the political scene to national fanfare and international acclaim. Now amid a civil war and despondency, the one major question being asked is: will the election bring any meaningful change? Mohammed Girma sets out the reasons why until now political regimes have failed to end the underlying struggle for power and resources in Ethiopia. And what, given past failures, a popular mandate for Abiy could mean.
Malawi’s Supreme Court of Appeal abolished the death penalty in April, one of the most notable decisions it has taken in recent years. The ruling validated the growing global consensus that the death penalty violates the right to life, even where the constitution specifically authorises it. Andrew Novak explains why the Malawi court’s decision provides a new roadmap for future challenges to the death penalty in other southern African
countries.
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Julius Maina
Regional Editor East Africa
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Workers mount a billboard of Ethiopia’s prime minister Abiy Ahmed on the eve of his campaign visit in Jimma.
Photo by Eduardo Soteras/AFP via Getty Images
Mohammed Girma, University of Roehampton
Ethiopian politicians, both opposition and incumbents, have found it difficult to undo the political culture of winning by elimination.
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The Malawi Supreme Court of Appeal decision ends years of confusion over the status of prisoners on death row.
Shutterstock
Andrew Novak, George Mason University
The Malawi court’s decision provides a roadmap for future challenges to the death penalty in other southern African countries.
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Politics
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Rongedzayi Fambasayi, North-West University
Policy changes and advocacy efforts have lead to improvements in the protection and wellbeing of children on the continent. But a lot more still needs to be done.
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Fatima Osman, University of Cape Town
Denying people the right to opt out of the traditional court system conflicts with the notion of customary law as a voluntary and consensual system of law.
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Science + Technology
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Kimberley E.J. Chapelle, American Museum of Natural History
This is a crucial dinosaur for palaeontologists; the variety of fossils available means researchers can study the species' growth through its whole life span.
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Ahmed Mutasim Abdalla Mahmoud, University of Nottingham
Desertification and climate change are threatening ancient sites in the Sahara.
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From our international editions
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Paul Griffin, University of California, Davis
When big investors like Blackrock get worried about their returns, they have the power and incentive to make fossil fuel companies take action.
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Jennifer Mathers, Aberystwyth University
The Biden-Putin summit will be symbolic, rather than substantive - but there could be grounds for cautious optimism.
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