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Earlier this week the Italian ambassador to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Luca Attanasio, his bodyguard Vittorio Iacovacci and their driver Mustapha Milambo were killed in eastern Congo after a convoy they were travelling in was ambushed. The tragic event is only one instance in a widespread, and extremely complex, political economy of violence that affects millions of people in the region. Peer Schouten, an expert on the armed groups that operate within eastern DRC, provides insights into this landscape, and explains why the insecurity persists.
Poor accountability and rampant corruption have hollowed out local government in South Africa. Many residents have had enough of collapsing sewerage systems and broken roads and have stepped in to do some of the work themselves. These organised community efforts have shown the power of a committed citizenry, with their conduct being likened to a constructive kind of anarchy. Developments took a novel twist recently when a court ruled in favour of the citizens restoring services. But Marius Pieterse cautions that endorsing the actions of un-elected groups of people carries risks.
The Nile river flows through 11 countries. Getting this many countries to agree to a water-sharing plan to avoid chronic water shortages is a Herculean task. But the basis of any agreement has to be good information. In today’s episode of our podcast, Pasha, Emad Hasan shares how satellite data is providing much more detailed and accurate information about water in the river, including the fact that there is less water that had been
assumed. This means that countries in the Nile Basin must work together to ensure the best use of the region’s resources to catch and store rainfall in the wet, flood risk years, and equally distribute it in dry years.
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Moina Spooner
Commissioning Editor: East and Francophone Africa
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UN soldiers patrol the road where Italy’s ambassador to the Democratic Republic of Congo was killed.
Photo by ALEXIS HUGUET/AFP via Getty Images
Peer Schouten, Danish Institute for International Studies
For nearly three decades, eastern Congo has been characterised by insecurity, with frequent outbreaks of violence between armed groups and attacks on civilians.
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Failure by local government to provide basic services has led to protests around South Africa. Now, some residents are resorting to self-help.
EFE-EPA/Kim Ludbrook
Marius Pieterse, University of the Witwatersrand
South Africa needs a way to incorporate active citizens within the prevailing constitutional and legal structures, so as to strengthen all levels of government.
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Science + Technology
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Osezua Ibhadode, University of Waterloo; Akii Ibhadode, Federal University of Petroleum Resources, Effurun
Nigeria could close the skills gap in the manufacturing sector by including 3D printing in the curriculum of engineering programmes.
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Joyce Agyei-Amponsah, Biotechnology and Nuclear Agriculture Research Institute
Fat replacers have the potential to mitigate the global obesity challenge.
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Podcasts
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Ozayr Patel, The Conversation
It won’t be easy to get the 11 countries in the basin to agree to a plan that avoids chronic water shortages in the future. Good information sharing and technical cooperation are critical.
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Ozayr Patel, The Conversation
What’s all the excitement around ivermectin? Can it actually help treat COVID-19 patients?
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From our international editions
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William Hauk, University of South Carolina
Whether the next pandemic bailout bill is called relief or stimulus depends on what ails the US economy – and maybe it doesn't matter at all.
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Agnes Arnold-Forster, University of Bristol
We should assess the pandemic’s effect in the round, beyond just COVID deaths.
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Featured events
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Robert Sobukwe Road, University of the Western Cape, Bellville, Cape Town, Western Cape, 7535, South Africa — University of the Western Cape
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Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, Gauteng, 0002, South Africa — University of Pretoria
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Robert Sobukwe Road, University of the Western Cape, Bellville, Cape Town, Western Cape, 7535, South Africa — University of the Western Cape
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Robert Sobukwe Road, University of the Western Cape, Bellville, Cape Town, Western Cape, 7535, South Africa — University of the Western Cape
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