East Africa Archive

NAIROBI, KENYA—One chilly evening late last month, Nathanial Ndichu wandered the tarmac roads of Githurai, one of the rambling and largely informal neighborhoods on the outskirts of Nairobi, searching for a place to sleep. After eight years of living in Kenya’s frenetic capital city, Ndichu, an 18-year-old unemployed day laborer, thought he had put this kind of precariousness behind him. But as darkness fell, he sounded less frightened than bewildered, genuinely confused as to how he was homeless, once again. “Akuna mtu aliye mleta mwingine uku Nairobi,” he said with resignation in Swahili. The phrase’s literal translation means “no person […]

On Friday, the aid group Doctors Without Borders, known by its French acronym, MSF, announced that it will no longer take money from the European Union or any of its member states, in a denunciation of the union’s “intensifying attempts to push people and their suffering away from European shores.” In 2015, the group received about $42 million from member states and nearly $21 million from the EU itself. The move is a response to a deal between the EU and Turkey, in which Turkey agreed to take back all migrants, including Syrian refugees, who arrived on Greek islands, in […]

In this week’s Trend Lines podcast, WPR’s editor-in-chief, Judah Grunstein, and host Peter Dörrie discuss political violence and terrorism in the United States, France and Africa in the wake of the Orlando shooting. For the Report, Jonathan Rosen joins us to talk about Ethiopia’s push toward industrialization. Listen:Download: MP3Subscribe: iTunes | RSS Relevant Articles on WPR: Easy Access to Guns, Not Terrorism, Is the Enemy in Orlando Shooting Playing the Long Game: Getting Past Near-Term Thinking on Terrorism France Takes the Gloves Off After Paris Attacks, but Will It Overreach? France’s Overstretched Military Not Enough to Stabilize the Sahel Made […]

ALEM GENA, Ethiopia—As she shuffles about the factory floor, watching over the machines that weave spools of thread into fabric, Asrat Yimam personifies the future of the Ethiopian workforce. A 27-year-old mother of one from the nearby capital, Addis Ababa, Yimam has spent the past six years toiling for Ayka-Addis, a Turkish-owned textile and garment factory and the largest firm in Ethiopia’s emerging apparel industry. Six days a week, for 1,500 birr ($68) a month after taxes, she rises early for her eight-hour shift, dons her spotted blue and white Ayka uniform, and spends her day churning out cotton for […]

Last week, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan went on a four-day visit of East Africa, stopping in Uganda, Kenya and Somalia to promote trade, tourism and security ties. In an email interview, David Shinn, an adjunct professor at the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University and former U.S. ambassador to Burkina Faso and Ethiopia, discussed Turkey’s outreach to East Africa. WPR: Who are Turkey’s main partners in East Africa, and what are the key areas of cooperation? David Shinn: Turkey has an embassy in every country in East Africa and the Horn of Africa, but has made […]

Kenya’s national elections are more than a year away, but political tensions are already rising. Starting in late April, the main political opposition group began organizing a near-weekly protest against the commission charged with organizing the vote. Known as the Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (CORD) and led by former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, it has accused the commission’s members of being in the pocket of President Uhuru Kenyatta, who is set to stand for a second term. The recent demonstrations have consistently been met with widespread police brutality; at least three protesters were killed during the latest incident late […]

Last week, South Korean President Park Geun-hye arrived in Ethiopia, the first stop on her week-long Africa tour that also includes visits to Kenya and Uganda. In an email interview, J. Berkshire Miller, a fellow on Japan for the Pacific Forum CSIS, discussed South Korea’s ties in Africa. WPR: How extensive are South Korea’s political and economic ties in Africa, and what countries are its main partners? J. Berkshire Miller: South Korean President Park Geun-hye’s visit to Africa is meant to underscore her administration’s desire to have a more comprehensive and robust relationship with key states on the continent. As […]