Israel May Be Trafficking Former Eritrean Slaves
This story originally appeared on March 15, 2016. In Uganda’s capital Kampala, a sign in Eritrean script points the way to a back alley. There’s a small hotel here with only a few rooms, most of them empty. In room number eight an old man sits on a worn-out... Read more
Peacekeepers Failed to Stop a Horrific Assault on Aid Workers in South Sudan
South Sudan was supposed to continue implementing its peace accord in early July, but starting on July 7, government and opposition forces clashed in the capital Juba, continuing a civil war that started in 2013. Now the Associated Press has published the harrowing account of a July 11 attack on... Read more
The Irish navy intercepts migrants. Photo via Wikipedia Migrant crisis scares the West into the arms of foreign strongmen by PETER DOERRIE There was a brief period of time when it looked like openly fraternizing with authoritarian rulers might go out of style, especially in Africa. The Cold War’s end suddenly... Read more
Does Erik Prince’s Private Air Force Even Make Sense?
You probably remember Blackwater, the notorious U.S. mercenary company that rose to fame — or infamy, as it were — during the Iraq war. You might also remember Erik Prince, a former Navy SEAL who founded Blackwater in 1997. Prince had no choice but to sell his company after... Read more
After Years of Military Decline, the World Is Now Re-arming
For the first time since 2011, the world has spent more on troops and weapons than in the previous year, according to new data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. The researchers estimate that countries spent $1.676 trillion on their militaries in 2015, a one-percent increase over 2014. This... Read more
Bad News For Warlords Everywhere
In its third-ever ruling, the International Criminal Court in The Hague found Congolese defendant Jean-Pierre Bemba guilty of two counts of crimes against humanity and three counts of war crimes. Critically, the court convicted Bemba on the grounds of “effectively acting as a military commander with effective authority and... Read more
Al Qaeda Is Spreading Across West Africa
Côte d’Ivoire has become the latest country in West Africa to suffer a major terror attack. No fewer than 15 civilians and three special forces troops died when six attackers opened fire on the beaches in Grand-Bassam, a seaside town that’s popular with expats. Thirty-three people were wounded. Al... Read more
U.N. Peacekeepers Are a Sexual Menace
United Nations peacekeeping missions deploy where other authorities have ceased to exist or matter. They’re called upon to stop atrocities, often involving systematic rape and sexual abuse by armed groups. Which makes it all the more disconcerting that peacekeepers themselves are frequently the perpetrators of sexual violence — an... Read more
Africa’s Defense Industry Is the Most Corrupt in the World
Of the world’s inhabited continents, Africa has by no means the biggest defense sector. Fifty-four African states are responsible for less than three percent — or about $50 billion — of the world’s military expenditure. But the continent also has experienced the largest increase in military spending, an astronomical 90 percent... Read more
Nigeria Wants to Double the Size of Its Army
The Nigerian ground forces wants to add 100,000 new officers and enlisted men to its ranks, doubling its size to 200,000 soldiers, Chief of Army Staff Lt. Gen. Yusuf Buratai announced in a lecture at the National Defense College in Abuja. In most countries, this would be kind of a... Read more

Peter Dörrie

Africa Correspondent

Journalist specialising in security politics on the African continent.