Of peacebuilding, debt relief, and other professional fun
It’s been quiet here lately, as I work too much and then sleep it off. But here’s what’s been going on: I have a lengthy feature article on the UN Peacebuilding Commission in the Christian Science Monitor magazine. This is one of the pieces that comes out of my three-month, four-country reporting trek last summer [...]
Twibuke
Today is the 17th anniversary of the start of the Rwandan genocide, and Kigali is quiet, as it has been every year I’ve witnessed this day. The day also begins a week of mourning that changes the mood here. There are no weddings and no celebrations; there’s no relaxing with a Primus in hand and [...]
Let’s play, “Why is this news?”
In this report from Uganda (slow down! 20 clicks a month!) we learn that: A man tried to steal a motorcycle in Kampala. A crowd gathered. They beat him. Then they set him on fire. Then the police showed up, and they fired into the crowd. Maybe they meant it to be a warning shot. [...]
Uganda finds easiest Security Council sanctions loophole ever
In order to comply with UN sanctions, Uganda froze the assets of Tropical Bank, “99.6875 percent” owned by Libya, according to Bloomberg. (The other “0.3125 percent” belongs — shocker — to the Ugandan government.) Then it took the bank over. Why? Bloomberg reports on a statement from Bank of Uganda Governor Emmanuel Tumusiime-Mutebile: The measures [...]
Why you should pay for the New York Times
So as of March 28, my favorite past-time and yours (to judge from what I can infer of my readership) is about to get expensive. No more critiquing the New York Times for free. It’s gonna cost at least $15 a month. That’s to read it online and on your mobile phone. It’s $25 to [...]
Now on the calendar: “Ivory Coast on the Brink,” DC
At the Brookings Institution, March 22, 4:30-6:00 p.m. RSVP here. While the eyes of the world have been focused on the political and humanitarian struggles in North Africa, Sudan, and Japan, a significant crisis has developed in the Ivory Coast. Since the disputed presidential elections in November, escalating conflict has forced hundreds of thousands to [...]
I am a freelance journalist and multimedia producer who covers human rights, Africa and foreign affairs. [