John Campbell

Africa in Transition

Campbell tracks political and security developments across sub-Saharan Africa.

Mapping the Nigerian State of Emergency

by John Campbell Friday, May 24, 2013
Soldiers from Lagos, part of an expected 1,000 reinforcements sent to Adamawa state to fight Boko Haram Islamists, walk near trucks as they arrive with the 23rd Armoured Brigade in Yola May 20, 2013. (Stringer/Courtesy Reuters) Soldiers from Lagos, part of an expected 1,000 reinforcements sent to Adamawa state to fight Boko Haram Islamists, walk near trucks as they arrive with the 23rd Armoured Brigade in Yola May 20, 2013. (Stringer/Courtesy Reuters)

Emily Mellgard coauthored this post. Emily is the Africa research associate at the Council on Foreign Relations.

Information about the state of emergency in the three northern Nigerian states of Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa comes almost exclusively from government sources. Cell phones no longer operate and there are few journalists in the area; though some have been able to make contact with refugees fleeing across the border into Cameroon and Niger. The government claims that as many as 2,000 troops were deployed within twenty-four hours of President Goodluck Jonathan’s declaration of the state of emergency. They are accompanied by air and ground support, including military jets, helicopters, and tanks. But we cannot confirm these claims from independent sources. The troops appear to have been compiled from those already deployed in other parts of Nigeria, Mali, and Liberia. Read more »

Difficulties of Defining and Mapping Ethnicity

by Guest Blogger for John Campbell Thursday, May 23, 2013
Youths from the Bagisu tribe escort Ronald Makwankwa (not in the picture) after his circumcision ceremony in Mbale, 220 km (136 miles) east of the Ugandan capital of Kampala, August 12, 2008. (James Akena/Courtesy Reuters) Youths from the Bagisu tribe escort Ronald Makwankwa (not in the picture) after his circumcision ceremony in Mbale, 220 km (136 miles) east of the Ugandan capital of Kampala, August 12, 2008. (James Akena/Courtesy Reuters)

This is a guest post by Brooke Bocast, a PhD candidate in anthropology at Temple University and a visiting predoctoral fellow at Northwestern University. She is currently writing her doctoral dissertation on gender, consumption, and higher education in Uganda. Read more »

Tracking the Traffickers: Eradicating Rhinos

by Guest Blogger for John Campbell Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Policeman look on as a protester carries a placard calling for an end to rhino poaching, which threatens the survival of rhino species, outside the Chinese embassy in Pretoria September 22, 2011. (Siphiwe Sibeko/Courtesy Reuters) Policeman look on as a protester carries a placard calling for an end to rhino poaching, which threatens the survival of rhino species, outside the Chinese embassy in Pretoria September 22, 2011. (Siphiwe Sibeko/Courtesy Reuters)

This is a guest post by Emily Mellgard, research associate for the Council on Foreign Relations Africa Studies program.

Demand for rhino horn increased exponentially over the past few years. The market is heavily concentrated in Asia, particularly Vietnam. Rhino poaching has leapt to keep pace with demand. South Africa’s rhinos are among the most affected. According to the Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa (WESSA), in 2010, 2011, and 2012, the number of rhinos killed for their horns went from 333 to 448 to 668. So far in 2013, 216 rhinos have been poached in South Africa’s Kruger national park alone. That is more death the past five months than in the years 2000-2008 combined. The rhino population in Mozambique, which was wiped out by large game hunters a century ago and later reintroduced to the national parks, has again been eradicated; this time with the connivance of some of Mozambique’s own rangers. Read more »

University Students to Learn Zulu in South Africa

by John Campbell Tuesday, May 21, 2013
A student is seen in a school in Johannesburg January 27, 2011. (Siphiwe Sibeko/Courtesy Reuters) A student is seen in a school in Johannesburg January 27, 2011. (Siphiwe Sibeko/Courtesy Reuters)

The University of KwaZulu-Natal has announced that starting next year, all entering students must study Zulu. Zulu is spoken by perhaps a quarter of South Africa’s population and the extensiveness of its use is probably second only to Afrikaans. However, it is an exceptionally difficult language for adults to learn, and few whites, coloreds, or Asians do so. Read more »

U.S. Humanitarian Assistance to Mali

by John Campbell Monday, May 20, 2013
People walking down the street are seen through a large tyre in Gao March 12, 2013. (Joe Penney/Courtesy Reuters) People walking down the street are seen through a large tyre in Gao March 12, 2013. (Joe Penney/Courtesy Reuters)

At the Mali Donors Conference in Brussels on May 15 the United States announced $32 million in new humanitarian assistance to support Malian refugees in neighboring countries and to the internally displaced. The same day, the U.S. Department of State spokesman said that the Obama administration will request from Congress $180 million in FY 2014 for bilateral assistance. That funding would kick-in after the Mali elections, scheduled to take place in July. Read more »

The New Niger Delta Action Plan: One More Missed Opportunity?

by Guest Blogger for John Campbell Friday, May 17, 2013
A door is pictured near an oil spillage site in Ikarama community, Bayelsa state in Nigeria's delta region August 20, 2011. (Akintunde Akinleye/Courtesy Reuters) A door is pictured near an oil spillage site in Ikarama community, Bayelsa state in Nigeria's delta region August 20, 2011. (Akintunde Akinleye/Courtesy Reuters)

This is a guest post by Dr. Deirdre LaPin, co-author of Securing Development and Peace in the Niger Delta (Woodrow Wilson Center, 2011) and a longstanding resident and development expert on Nigeria. Read more »

Kenya and the ICC

by John Campbell Thursday, May 16, 2013
President-elect Uhuru Kenyatta (R) greets his supporters with his running mate, former cabinet minister William Ruto after attending a news conference in Nairobi March 9, 2013. (Siegfried Modola/Courtesy Reuters) President-elect Uhuru Kenyatta (R) greets his supporters with his running mate, former cabinet minister William Ruto after attending a news conference in Nairobi March 9, 2013. (Siegfried Modola/Courtesy Reuters)

Kenya, the International Criminal Court (ICC) and, by extension, the international community currently face the dilemma of dealing with a president and a deputy president, freely and fairly elected (more or less; many questions remain) that are charged with crimes against humanity associated with 2007 election bloodshed. Africa Confidential has an excellent review of the current state of play. Read more »

State of Emergency in Northern Nigeria

by John Campbell Wednesday, May 15, 2013
A woman sits amongst the ruins of the burnt Bama Market, which was destroyed by gunmen in last Thursday's attack, in Maiduguri, northeast Nigeria April 29, 2013. (Afolabi Sotunde/Courtesy Reuters) A woman sits amongst the ruins of the burnt Bama Market, which was destroyed by gunmen in last Thursday's attack, in Maiduguri, northeast Nigeria April 29, 2013. (Afolabi Sotunde/Courtesy Reuters)

Having cut short a trip to South Africa and annulled a planned state visit to Namibia, President Goodluck Jonathan has declared a “state of emergency” in the three northern states of Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa. In announcing this step, Jonathan acknowledged that there is an “insurrection” in northeast Nigeria, and that the government has lost control of certain geographic areas to “Boko Haram,” a defuse Islamist movement. Read more »

Delta Militant Insists Goodluck Jonathan Run for President in 2015

by John Campbell Tuesday, May 14, 2013
A man walks past election posters for Nigeria's President Goodluck Jonathan in the Maryland district of the commercial capital Lagos April 16, 2011. (Akintunde Akinleye/Courtesy Reuters) A man walks past election posters for Nigeria's President Goodluck Jonathan in the Maryland district of the commercial capital Lagos April 16, 2011. (Akintunde Akinleye/Courtesy Reuters)

President Goodluck Jonathan has refused to say whether he will run for the presidency in 2015, although many Nigerians expect he will. The current efforts among the opposition parties to come together behind a single presidential candidate is based on the assumption that Jonathan will run. Read more »

How Do Robert Mugabe and ZANU-PF Hang On In Zimbabwe?

by John Campbell Monday, May 13, 2013
Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe gestures as he speaks during an event marking his 89th birthday at Chipadze stadium in Bindura, about 90 km (56 miles) north of the capital Harare March 2, 2013. (Philimon Bulwayo/Courtesy Reuters) Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe gestures as he speaks during an event marking his 89th birthday at Chipadze stadium in Bindura, about 90 km (56 miles) north of the capital Harare March 2, 2013. (Philimon Bulwayo/Courtesy Reuters)

Simukai Tinhu analyzes the staying power of Robert Mugabe’s ZANU-PF party in a thoughtful article, “Zimbabwe: Mugabe’s Will to Power.” It was published in ThinkAfrica Press on May 9. Also a “must-read” is the International Crisis Group’s (ICG) report “Zimbabwe Elections Scenarios;” it appeared May 6. Read more »