Search Climate Insights Directory

This report provides development forecasts for the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) up to 2043. It compares a 'Current Path' trajectory—based on existing policies—against various sectoral scenarios and a 'Combined Agenda 2063' scenario, analyzing impacts on GDP, poverty, demographics, and carbon emissions.

This briefing by the Institute for Security Studies examines the rise of Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) in Africa, their role in filling service gaps left by weak states, and the resulting political tensions between these organisations and African governments.

This briefing by the Institute for Security Studies examines the instability in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), highlighting the failure of stabilization plans due to ongoing conflict, human rights abuses by both armed groups and national forces, and the complicating influence of regional actors.

This briefing by the Institute for Security Studies examines the increasing risks of predatory cyber crime in South Africa, driven by the proliferation of smartphones, social networking, and broadband access. It highlights the prevalence of card cloning in the hospitality sector and the gap between the availability of legislative protections and public awareness of cyber risks.

This policy brief by the Institute for Security Studies examines the African Union's (AU) strategy to increase troop levels for the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) following suicide bombings in Uganda in July 2010.

This briefing by the Institute for Security Studies examines the limited effectiveness of the United Nations peacekeeping mission (MONUC) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), highlighting allegations of logistical support for rebels and the role of neighboring countries in sustaining conflict through illegal trade and arms supply.

This research paper analyzes how the political and military crisis in South Sudan exacerbates existing regional tensions in the Horn of Africa, specifically involving Uganda, Sudan, Ethiopia, and Eritrea. The author argues that the conflict has become a venue for regional competition, where states support opposing factions to secure their own strategic, economic, and security interests.

This briefing from the Institute for Security Studies warns that the peace process in South Sudan is at risk of collapse following the house arrest of First Vice-President Riek Machar and the detention of other opposition figures. The document attributes the crisis to deep-seated mistrust between President Salva Kiir and Riek Machar, unilateral government reshuffles, and a severe economic downturn driven by falling oil revenues. It urges the African Union to intervene urgently to prevent further escalation and maintain the 2018 Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS).

This monograph examines the evolving relationship between the African Union (AU) and the International Criminal Court (ICC), focusing on the transition from early support to current tensions highlighted by the arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir.

This briefing by Max du Plessis analyzes the Kenyan government's efforts to obstruct International Criminal Court (ICC) proceedings regarding the 2007-8 post-election violence. The author argues that Kenya's strategy—seeking a UN Security Council deferral under Article 16 of the Rome Statute—is legally flawed and politically risky, while suggesting a complementary approach where national courts try lower-level perpetrators and the ICC focuses on those with the greatest responsibility.

This research paper examines the legal perspectives surrounding the effects of climate change in Africa, specifically focusing on the role of environmental law and legal mechanisms as tools to enforce policy decisions and shape human behavior regarding the environment.

A statement by the Institute for Security Studies arguing that African nations must prevent the adoption of a new Protocol to the Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW) that would weaken the existing 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM).

This briefing by the Institute for Security Studies analyzes the fragile state of Somalia in early 2005 following the election of President Abdullahi Yusuf. It details the complex geopolitical maneuvering between the Transitional National Government (TNG) and the Ethiopian-backed Somali Reconciliation and Reconstruction Council (SRRC), the role of IGAD states in the peace process, and the significant challenges the new transitional government faces in establishing authority, including dependence on external support and internal factionalism.

This report by the Institute for Security Studies examines the implementation of the gacaca process in Rwanda, a system of community-based courts designed to prosecute perpetrators of the 1994 genocide. It details the transition from a pilot phase to a national rollout, the legal framework established by the 2001 and 2004 laws, and the significant challenges regarding judicial rigour, prison capacity, and national reconciliation.

This briefing from the Conflict Prevention and Risk Analysis (CPRA) unit in Pretoria, dated 11 July 2012, details the security deterioration in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) following the rise of the M23 rebel group in North Kivu.

The report evaluates the AU Peace and Security Council's efforts in conflict resolution and regional stability, highlighting failures in Sudan's mediation due to biased mediator selection and a lack of political focus. It examines the limitations of PSC field missions, the rising death toll of humanitarian workers in Africa, and the role of illegal natural resource exploitation in funding armed groups. Finally, it discusses the need for greater African agency and strategic coordination in infrastructure and security partnerships with China through FOCAC.

This report summarizes a public seminar held on November 20, 2009, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, jointly organized by the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) and the Ethiopian International Institute for Peace and Development (EIIPD). The seminar, titled "Copenhagen Talks on Climate Change and Africa's Response," focused on strengthening a common African position regarding mitigation, adaptation, and compensation ahead of the Copenhagen climate negotiations.

This research paper examines the role of land tenure, migration, and competition for agricultural and pastoral land as structural and proximate causes of violent conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), specifically in the Kivu provinces and Ituri Territory. The authors argue that colonial-era dual property systems and post-colonial patrimonial rule under Mobutu transformed land from a communal social asset into a currency of political power and economic wealth, marginalizing rural populations and fueling ethnic tensions.

This research paper by the Institute for Security Studies assesses the political transition and disarmament initiatives in Burundi during 2004. It examines the structures established under the Arusha Peace and Reconciliation Agreement, the challenges of integrating rebel factions into a national army, and the role of international peacekeeping forces in facilitating a peaceful transition to elections.

This report chapter by Kees Kingma examines the processes and impacts of demobilising military personnel in Africa, focusing on how the transition from military to civilian life affects peace, security, and human development.