Africa

“I’m sorry, but I don’t care if Dumbo takes one to the head,” said one senior European law enforcement official to a colleague at an […] More

Nir Kalron, a former Israeli commando and the Chief Executive of Maisha Consulting Ltd., voiced concern over the poaching problem and explained that terrorist organizations […] More

Much has been written about the connection between the illegal ivory trade and the Somali al-Qaeda franchise, al-Shabaab. Some experts claim that a substantial amount […] More

Chinese and Western interests in Africa—in other words, what these countries want from Africa rather than what they can do for Africa—are surprisingly similar.  They […] More

At the November 2015 meeting of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, China’s “open door” and “going out” policy, first declared in the […] More

As Director of the China Africa Research Initiative at Johns Hopkins University SAIS, Deborah Bräutigam has written extensively about the Chinese-African relationship.   Bräutigam tells The […] More

One concern about the increased Chinese business presence in Africa is that it is forcing opportunities away from U.S. businesses.  Stephen Hayes, President and CEO […] More

Last month, The Cipher Brief explored the rise of mobile technology in Africa.  To continue the conversation, TCB spoke with Tomi Ahonen, a leading consultant […] More

As the military campaign to degrade and ultimately destroy ISIS continues to dominate U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East, there is also an effort […] More

In mid-October, the UN Monitoring Group on Somalia and Eritrea published its latest report confirming that despite years of effort and the recent territorial gains […] More

The Somalia based terror group al-Shabaab has “diversified its economy” to ensure a constant income, from kidnapping for ransom and confiscating food and aid sent […] More

For decades, belligerent groups have financed their operations by tapping into a variety of locally available economies, including illegal ones. The Shining Path in Peru […] More

South Africa has come a long way since 1994, when the country was on a knife’s edge, and it seemed civil war was imminent. With […] More

Ambassador John Campbell served as a Foreign Service Officer in South Africa during the transition from apartheid to majority rule.  He told The Cipher Brief […] More

Illovo Sugar Limited, Africa’s biggest sugar producer, exports raw and refined sugar globally.  After crime and conflict in South Africa over land ownership affected business […] More

CSS Tactical (Pty) Ltd, a security company in Johannesburg, South Africa, takes a community policing approach to crime prevention.  CEO Ricky Croock discussed with The […] More

The Cipher Brief interviewed Robin Miller, who advises firms on strategy and policy dedicated to global innovation as an Associate Partner at Dalberg Global Development […] More

Africa faces some unique challenges pertaining to the security of mobile communications. A common misconception is that African networks and Africans themselves are not high […] More