By all accounts, the situation in the Tigray region of Ethiopia is extremely grim — and poised to deteriorate further. The United Nations now says that famine has struct parts of the region while the civil war in Ethiopia continues without and end in sight. Meanwhile, fraught national elections are scheduled for June 21. 

Ethiopian journalist Zecharias Zelalem explains how we got to this point and where the conflict may be headed next.

As the world turns towards greener economies there will be a surge in demand for natural resources that enable a less carbon intensive future. This includes the mineral cobalt, which is key component of batteries. 

Most of the world’s supply of Cobalt is in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This raises the prospect that increasing demand for Cobalt might contribute to insecurity in the DRC. 

On the line to explain the link between mineral extraction and conflict in the DRC and how cobalt mining can lead to peace and sustainable development is Laurent Kasindi, Program Quality Specialist at Search for Common Ground.

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For the last several months Niger has experienced a surge in attacks against civilians by violent extremists. This region of West Africa, the Sahel, has experienced profound and growing security challenges in recent years. What distinguishes this new upsurge in violence in Niger is that civilians are being targeted — and on the basis of their ethnicity. 

Guest: Ornella Moderan the Sahel Program Head for Institute for Security Studies.    

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The security and humanitarian situation in the Central African Republic has rapidly deteriorated over the last several weeks. Rebel group control a key road from which goods, food and humanitarian supplies is imported to CAR from neighboring Cameroon. The capitol city, Bangui is under an effective siege.  

On the line to discuss what is happening in the Central African Republic is Hans de Marie Hengoup, the Central Africa senior analyst with the International Crisis Group. 

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Nigeria has a population of over 200 million people. It is the largest country in Africa.

The country is now in the midst of a second wave of COVID infections which is straining an already fragile health system. But Nigerian officials have not been able to secure any doses of any COVID-19 vaccine for their frontline health workers–let alone general population.

My guest today, Dr. Faisal Shuaib heads Nigeria’s National Primary Healthcare Development Agency and a member of the country’s COVID-19 task force. He explains the impact of the COVID–19 in Nigeria and the difficult task of securing doses of the vaccine.

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On January 14th, Uganda held national elections for president and parliament. The incumbent was the 76 year old Yoweri Museveni, who has ruled Uganda since 1986. His main challenger was a 38 year old music star turned politician who goes by the stage name Bobi Wine. Museveni claimed victory and his security forces have laid siege to Wine’s home.  

On the line to help me understand the current state of play of the fraught election and its aftermath in Uganda is Rosebell Kagumire. She is a writer and editor at a the publication African Feminism and I caught up with her from Kampala, Uganda. 

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There is a worsening Jihadist insurgency in a  province in Northern Mozambique called Cabo Delgado. The insurgency began in 2017, but in recent weeks the fighting has intensified substantially. Over half a million people have been displaced — most over the last few months. And in early January 2021, the French energy company Total announced it was suspending operations on a massive $3.9 billion natural gas project in the region amid concerns about the safety of personnel. 

Zenaida Machado is a senior researcher with the Africa Division of Human Rights Watch. I caught up with hear from Maputo, the capitol of Mozambique. She explains the history of this insurgency, including how this group has shifted tactics from targeted assassinations to more recently capturing territory, including strategically important cities and corridors.

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On November 4th, the Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed launched military operations against the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, the TPLF, which is the group that controls the Tigray region in Northern Ethiopia. 

Tensions have been simmering for some time between the Federal government, which Abiy controls and the TPLF. Now, one year after winning the Nobel Peace Prize, Abiy has launched a military campaign that could very well spark a widespread civil war. 

On the line with me to discuss recent events in Ethiopia and offer some analysis of why the country is on the brink of civil war is Mastewal Terefe, an Ethiopian policy analyst and lawyer. 

We kick off discussing the events of November 4 before having a broader conversation about the causes of escalating tensions between Abiy and the TPLF. As you will see in this conversation, there is a great risk right now that this conflict between the federal government and TPLF spreads to other armed groups that are organized along ethnic lines. 

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