Exit of the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID)

UNAMID's exit did not emerge from a context of peace or progress towards conflict resolution in Darfur. Instead, the exit decision was essentially the outcome of the reflection that keeping the mission on the ground would not change the situation. Initially, the hybrid peacekeeping model was seen as a paradigm shift in peacekeeping operations, and many hailed it as the future of UN peace operations.

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Al-Shabaab in Somalia: Terrorist Trends in the Pandemic Years

Challenges, such as weak infrastructure and ill-equipped armed forces, corruption, pandemic, and drought, have become intrinsic to Somalia, mutually reinforcing each other. Additionally, they have been exploited by terrorists to advance their Islamist cause. While re-evaluating counter-terrorism strategies to defeat al-Shabaab, the allied partners should carefully consider these factors’ role in sustaining the insurgency and address the security crisis – state and human security – accordingly.

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FOCAC 2021: Key Takeaways

The latest FOCAC displayed China’s fresh efforts to enhance its soft power, as well as its engagement with the African countries. The meeting underlined some new areas of future cooperation and China’s commitment towards a win-win partnership with Africa.

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The Revival of the Air Force of Zimbabwe

The Air Force of Zimbabwe (AFZ) has an enviable combat record among the air forces of Sub-Saharan Africa. It has a strong professional ethos and, until budgetary cuts and sanctions came into effect, was one of the most effective air forces in the region. It has gone through a period of decline and relative stagnation in strength. However, the last two years point to a revival in its fortunes though this is through the restoring of grounded equipment to service.

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Blanche Rocha D’Souza, Harnessing the Trade Winds: The Story of the Centuries-Old Indian Trade with East Africa, Using the Monsoon Winds

Blanche Rocha D’Souza, Harnessing the Trade Winds: The Story of the Centuries-Old Indian Trade with East Africa, Using the Monsoon Winds, First published in Kenya in 2008 by Zand Graphics Ltd, Reprinted in India 2021 by Pentagon Press LLP. Pp. 204. INR 995.

ISBN (hardcover): ? 978-93-90095-43-8

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Scope for India-Africa Cooperation in Countering Terrorism

Both AU and the UN have identified clear areas where the capacities for counter-terrorism in Africa have been found wanting. India is in a position to share and build capacities in areas of its competence and comfort. Such help would be along the lines of the Indian policy of building state capacities. Having grappled with terrorism in a democratic set-up, India is also in a position to share its experience of making law enforcement systems respect the fundamental rights of human beings.

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Turmoil in Tunisia

Tunisia faces serious socio-economic, political and security challenges. There is a degree of political disarray on top of a serious economic problem aggravated by the COVID-19 pandemic. A decade after Arab Spring, Tunisia is once again at a crossroads, and its future depends on the ability of Tunisians to find a way out of the crisis, without compromising on the democratic gains made since 2011.

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The Impact of Indian Initiatives in Africa: Reflections on the Cooperation in the Health Sector

Looking forward into the post-COVID era, it can be seen that India and Africa will further come together in collaboration with respect to the development of healthcare infrastructure and the reduction of emerging health issues. Other than providing regular medical checkups and post-covid care to patients, the Indian private sector has extended other initiatives.  Health care will continue as an arena for India-Africa cooperation in times to come.

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Philani Mthembu, China and India’s Development Cooperation in Africa: The Rise of Southern Powers, Palgrave Macmillan, 2018

The 21st century has witnessed a marked shift in the trends of development cooperation. The earlier developing countries who received foreign aid from developed countries have now begun to themselves engage in extending foreign aid to fellow developing as well as underdeveloped countries. This book provides an enriching insight into these trends particularly focusing on India and China’s development cooperation in Africa. Philani Mthembu examines the determinants that push China and India to pursue development cooperation activities in Africa. Furthermore, he explores why only certain countries have received more aid as compared to others.

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Exploring the Blue Economy to Bridge Funding Gap in Nigeria

Nigerian government should promote a coherent win-win cooperation across sub-regional, regional and international marine economic fields. This begins with ratification of the six instruments of International Maritime Organization by the Nigerian government. Ambitious nations are investing heavily in blue economy taking into account the projected contributions to their GDP. Nigeria cannot be an onlooker.

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