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This July 2021 issue of the Peace & Security Council Report by the Institute for Security Studies examines critical security and political challenges across Africa. It focuses on the African Union's (AU) struggle to implement maritime security strategies, the rise of cybercrime and the legislative responses in South Africa, the ten-year legacy of the Arab Spring in North Africa, and the impact of the June 2021 elections on Ethiopia's structural divisions.

This policy brief evaluates the Global Programme of Action (GPA), a non-binding UNEP initiative launched in 1995 to combat land-based marine pollution. While the GPA successfully shifted global focus toward source-based action and established key partnerships for nutrient management, marine litter, and wastewater, it has struggled against increasing pollution levels and a shift toward more specialized, legally binding treaties. The document highlights that 80% of marine pollution comes from land, with plastics and untreated sewage posing severe threats to marine ecosystems and human livelihoods.

This research paper evaluates the state of Somalia's transition toward democracy as the August 20 deadline approaches, arguing that the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) has failed to establish functional statehood due to corruption, factionalism, and a lack of political will.

This research paper examines the integration of maritime piracy concerns into Kenya's foreign policy, noting a historical lack of a coherent domestic strategy despite the economic and security threats posed by piracy in the Indian Ocean and the proximity of Somalia.

This report by the Institute for Security Studies examines the economic and security impacts of Somali piracy on Kenya and evaluates Kenya's role as a potential partner in international counter-piracy efforts. It argues that while naval deployments have not eliminated the threat, Kenya is strategically positioned to contribute through domestic legal action, regional cooperation, and efforts to stabilize Somalia.

This WRI fact sheet provides a regional overview of the 'Reefs at Risk Revisited' analysis for the Middle East, detailing the extent of coral reefs, the human populations dependent on them, the prevalence of local and climate-driven threats, and the current state of conservation efforts.

This concept note outlines a proposed workshop organized by the Eastern Africa Police Chiefs Cooperation Organization (EAPCCO), Hanns Seidel Foundation (HSF), and the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) to develop a regional response strategy for law enforcement agents to combat piracy in Eastern Africa.

This briefing by the Institute for Security Studies analyzes the rise of piracy off the coast of Somalia as a symptom of the failure of national, regional, and global security systems. It argues that the international community's focus on the US-led Global War on Terror has led to misplaced priorities, allowing piracy to proliferate due to the collapse of the Somali state and the inefficiency of regional bodies like IGAD.

A briefing by the Institute for Security Studies warns that piracy is moving southwards toward South African waters, driven by increased naval presence in other African regions. The document highlights critical gaps in South Africa's maritime surveillance and response capabilities and calls for a comprehensive maritime policy and collective regional strategies through the African Union and SADC.

This briefing discusses a decline in piracy in the Gulf of Aden during early 2012, attributing the drop to maritime security practices and international naval tactics, while warning that corruption within the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and the diversion of pirate skills into other crimes threaten long-term stability in Somalia.

A summary of deliberations from a June 2009 workshop in Mombasa, Kenya, focused on developing regional strategies for law enforcement agents to combat piracy in Eastern Africa. The meeting, organized by EAPCCO, HSF, and ISS, emphasized a multi-sectoral approach combining security, diplomacy, and the addressing of root causes in Somalia.

This policy brief by the Institute for Security Studies argues for the establishment of an IGAD Regional Maritime Council (RMC) to address underdeveloped maritime trade, high operational costs, and infrastructural deficits in the Intergovernmental Authority on Development region.