Podcasts about intergovernmental authority

Mahamoud Ali Youssouf, Djibouti's long-serving foreign minister, took office as the African Union Commission's chair yesterday, four weeks after defeating Raila Odinga, Kenya's former prime minister and perennial opposition leader, in the race for the job. He succeeds Chad's Moussa Faki, who leaves after serving two four-year terms. Youssouf's victory represents a diplomatic victory for one of the continent's smallest but diplomatically agile states. But it is being seen more as a setback for Kenya's ambitious foreign policy under President William Ruto. Though recently at odds with Odinga due to their domestic political differences, Ruto took the campaign for the commission chair personally, mobilizing the entire Kenyan government in an attempt to secure the post for his former rival. Ruto likely preferred the thought of Odinga occupied with work at the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa, as it would bolster his own re-election prospects. If so, his calculations recall those of former South African President Jacob Zuma, who ensured that Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma - his former wife and domestic political rival - was elected AU Commission chair in 2012. While the bloc's major donors - Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Nigeria and South Africa - have seldom held the top position, there has been a clear pattern of success for candidates backed by respected or influential heads of state. Dlamini-Zuma hailed from the continent's economic powerhouse, for instance, and at the time the outgoing Faki first won the post in 2017, he benefited from the influential support of then-Chadian President Idriss Deby, who had just held the more prominent position of AU Chair. One might have expected the same dynamic to play in Odinga's favor. However, Ruto did not anticipate the level of opposition the prospect of a Kenyan at the head of the commission would generate. Early in the race, Youssouf received the endorsement of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, which includes 27 African members, in part because Ruto's portrayal of Kenya as a staunch Western ally alienated states that were more sympathetic to Palestine. There were also doubts about whether Odinga would be fully autonomous in his approach to the role or instead serve as a proxy for Nairobi. For all the headwinds Odinga faced, Youssouf also certainly benefited from his long experience in Djibouti, which despite its small size has an active diplomatic profile as part of its efforts to secure external investment in support of its stability. Djibouti hosts the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, or IGAD, the regional bloc comprising eight member states that oversees trade and diplomacy in the Horn of Africa. Unlike other groups on the continent, IGAD is supported by several non-African partner nations, including France, the U.K. and the U.S., highlighting the kind of multilateral networks of support Djibouti has been cultivating. Djibouti's approach serves as a model for leveraging great power competition for its own advantage, without aligning itself with one side or the other. The degree to which Djibouti has successfully leveraged its strategic location on the Horn of Africa is a further sign of its active diplomacy. It is home to at least eight foreign military bases from diverse and even rival countries. These include Camp Lemonnier, the U.S. military's sole permanent base in Africa, as well as a French military and naval base that is among France's largest overseas contingents. But Djibouti also houses China's first overseas military base, as well as bases for Italy, Japan and South Korea, all of which were established to combat piracy and defend vital economic interests in the Red Sea. This sizable foreign presence has contributed to ensuring Djibouti's stability by incentivizing global powers to keep it insulated from other conflicts in the Horn of Africa. These bases have also resulted in significant economic investments in the country, allowing it to boast a considerably higher GDP...

Patience Nyange serves as the Spokesperson for the Office of the Executive Secretary at the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD). With over 18 years of experience in media, communications, and advocacy, she is a seasoned professional specializing in broadcast journalism, international public relations, social media management, and mentorship for young journalists and PR practitioners. Patience is particularly passionate about human rights, with a strong focus on women's and girls' rights and empowerment. She has been a leading advocate for gender-sensitive reporting across Africa. Patience is also the visionary behind the #KenyaWomenSeries, a platform dedicated to celebrating the remarkable achievements of Kenyan women. This initiative highlights inspiring stories of women making a difference, showcasing Patience's dedication to amplifying women's voices and accomplishments.In this episode, Patience discusses seeing, at a young age, how gender inequality limited opportunities for women in her community and how this sparked a deep sense of injustice… her gratitude for her parents, their messages that she and her brothers and sisters are all equal, and the opportunity to be able to speak out… role models who inspired her pursuit for education… her commitment to continue to advocate for a world where every woman and girl can realize her full potential… working with two volunteers, Esther Karagu and Nancy Marangu, to profile 52 women leaders in Kenya, celebrating them and highlighting their stories and their impact on their communities… the importance of creating a platform where women could tell their stories in a way that they wanted it told… the importance of mentorship and of publicly affirming those we mentor… how women sharing our stories can encourage us in overcoming obstacles and challenges…. and the importance of challenging stereotypes and amplifying women's achievements. (Kenya) 

Food demand is creating substantial opportunities for Africa's food processors, according to the report by the Malabo Montpellier Panel. It says the rise in population, urbanization, and middle-class incomes in Africa is creating marketable opportunities for processed foods. However,a report by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), indicates that millions of people across the continent still suffer from food shortage. Maureen Ojiambo reports.

Amid famine and food shortages across Africa, agriculture experts are meeting in Uganda to discuss ways to improve food security and nutrition. Experts from regional block, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, or IGAD, say governments must make deliberate efforts to increase funding for agriculture and must involve women and youth in the food supply chain. Reporter Mugume Davis Rwakaringi has more from Kampala

*) Qatar announces humanitarian deal between Israel, Hamas Israel and Palestinian resistance group Hamas have reached an agreement that will enable humanitarian aid to be delivered to civilians in Gaza in exchange for the delivery of medicines to Israeli hostages. The agreement is a joint effort between Qatar and France, according to the Qatari Foreign Ministry. The ministry added that the humanitarian aid is scheduled to be dispatched to Egypt today before reaching Gaza. *) US Senate rejects measure to force human rights report on Israel Meanwhile, the US Senate has rejected a resolution that would have forced the State Department to examine whether Israel committed human rights violations in Palestine's Gaza. As voting continued, 54 senators voted to set the resolution aside, thus meaning it cannot move ahead in the 100-member Senate. Israel's brutal war on Gaza — now in its 103rd day — has killed some 24,285 Palestinians and wounded 61,154, Palestinian authorities say. *) Russia calls Ukraine peace meetings 'pointless' In the Ukraine conflict, Russia has said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's plan to resolve the nearly two-year war had no hope of succeeding. Putin dismissed meetings devoted to Zelenskyy's plan as "pointless and harmful". A statement on the Russian Foreign Ministry's website underlined that the meeting had exposed differences between participants and produced no increase in support for the proposals. *) Sudan accuses east African bloc of violating sovereignty, suspends ties Sudan's army-aligned government has frozen ties with the East African bloc of Intergovernmental Authority on Development or IGAD. For nine months war has been raging between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, and has now spread to the remains of the ancient Kush kingdom. IGAD extended an invitation to paramilitary leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo to a summit in Uganda, which he accepted. But the move prompted the foreign ministry, loyal to army chief and Sudan's leader Abdel Fattah al Burhan, to announce it was suspending its ties with the bloc. And finally… *) OpenAI braces AI for anti-disinformation tools for 2024 elections ChatGPT maker OpenAI has said it will introduce tools to combat disinformation ahead of the dozens of elections this year. With elections due in the US, India and UK, OpenAI said it will not allow its tech to be used for political campaigns. It is working on tools that would attach reliable attribution to text generated by ChatGPT, and also give users the ability to detect if an image was created using AI.

This episode of Global Dispatches was recorded as a live taping of the podcast, produced in partnership with CGIAR, a global research partnership for a food-secure future dedicated to transforming food, land, and water systems in a climate crisis. Global Dispatches and CGIAR are partnering on a series of episodes about the nexus between climate and security. In our conversation today expert panelists discuss the path to resilient societies in a polycrisis era and soft launch CGIAR's new Climate Security Sensitivity Tool to assess the peace potential of climate adaptation The episode kicks off with some opening remarks from, Peter Laderach, Co-lead CGIAR Climate Security, Alliance of Bioversity and CIAT  I then moderate a panel discussion featuring : Carolina Sarzana – Climate Security Specialist with CGIAR, the Alliance of Bioveristy and CIAT  Linda Ogallo – Climate Change Adaptation Expert at the Climate Prediction and Applications Centre, Intergovernmental Authority on Development Suzanna Huber -- Climate and Energy Advisor World Food Programme, Regional Bureau Eastern Africa Erick Mariga -- Regional Fragility and Resilience Coordinator, at the Africa Development Bank Group Mana Farooghi -- Climate and Environment Adviser at the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office  

Can East Africa cope with heavier than average rainfall – predicted to possibly arrive between October and December, linked to the El Nino weather phenomenon? Forecasts show there's an 85% higher chance of wetter-than-usual conditions across most parts of the horn of Africa this year. Scientists say areas expected to face floods will include southern Ethiopia, eastern Kenya and southern Somalia, but that parts of Uganda and South Sudan may also face drier conditions. El Nino is a climate pattern that describes the unusual warming of surface waters in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean. It can lead to heavy rains thousands of miles away – but also drought and lack of rains elsewhere. Eunice Koech, a meteorologist with the horn of Africa's Intergovernmental Authority on Development- IGAD has been speaking to Africa Daily about what El Nino is – and how it might affect East Africa.

Facing converging challenges related to climate change, natural disasters, and migration, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) region in Eastern Africa is in a particularly vulnerable position. With countries such as Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, and Uganda regularly impacted by drought, flooding, or other natural disasters, the decision to migrate is frequently driven by environmental factors, alongside economic and social ones. As climate-related human mobility increases, the pressing situation in the IGAD region and responses can offer broader lessons for other parts of the world. During this MPI webinar, climate experts and regional authorities outline the challenges related to climate change and human mobility that local communities, national governments, and the IGAD region are confronting. The speakers discuss priorities within the region to address climate-related displacement, the engagement of various stakeholders, efforts to facilitate safe and orderly migration, and potential solutions. They also offer key recommendations for future policies and programs in the region and beyond. The webinar is linked to the publication of an external evaluation led by MPI of a landmark program on migration, disasters, and climate change in the IGAD region.  

Countries in the Horn of Africa face several interlinked challenges to their stability, including conflict, resource contestation and cross-border divisions. These complex issues are exacerbated by the impacts of climate change and the competing interests of external actors. On this episode of Africa Aware, the Executive Secretary of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), H.E. Dr Workneh Gebeyehu highlights efforts by the regional body to improve stability and further integration. Dr Workneh provides his insights into reforms within IGAD, following the adoption of a new treaty by the regional bloc, and IGAD-African Union efforts to bring an end to the war in Sudan.

On Daybreak Africa: Sudan will be the hot topic at the Intergovernmental Authority on Development meeting in Djibouti Monday, analyst Faysal Abdi Roble tells host James Butty there's little leaders can do to impact the conflict. A European Union Commission delegation met with President Kais Saied in Tunis, Tunisia who said Tunis won't be Europe's border police. Plus, Mali's long-delayed constitutional referendum began Sunday, a member of the M5-RFP movement talks about their view on the draft constitution.

*) Tigray rebel forces start turning over heavy weapons to Ethiopia military Tigray rebel forces, who fought a two-year war against Ethiopia's federal government, have begun handing over heavy weaponry to the national army as part of an African Union-led peace process. Handover in the town of Agulae was overseen by a monitoring team comprising members of the two sides and a regional body, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development. At the ceremony, a Tigray rebel forces' representative said the start of the disarmament would play a major role in restoring peace. *) Ukraine's Soledar town falls to Wagner group — Russian media The head of Russia's mercenary group Wagner said his forces had taken control of the eastern Ukrainian mining town of Soledar but that fighting continued, Russian news agencies reported. Ukraine had said earlier that its forces were still holding out despite a Russian onslaught. The Wagner head said in a statement that its units took control of the entire territory of Soledar and that a cauldron has been formed in the centre of the city. *) Azerbaijan demands France apologise over 'slander' during war with Armenia Azerbaijan has demanded an apology from France over "slander" during the 2020 Karabakh war with Armenia. President Ilham Aliyev said, "During the conflict, France openly accused us, slandered us. I demanded an apology from them. They slandered us without even any evidence," Underlining that while there could be several reasons for France's anti-Azerbaijan stance, Aliyev said that France wanted Karabakh to remain at the centre of an unresolved and "frozen" conflict. *) Türkiye to host Russian, Ukrainian rights commissioners Russian and Ukrainian commissioners for human rights will hold a meeting in Türkiye on January 12-14, a Russian official said. Tatyana Moskalkova, Russia's commissioner for human rights, told reporters in Moscow that she will visit Türkiye for a forum. She said scores of experts from many nations will attend the forum, adding that they are planning to meet the Ukrainian side. *) Steven Spielberg wins big as Golden Globes make comeback Steven Spielberg claimed top honors including best drama at the Golden Globes on Tuesday for his deeply personal film "The Fabelmans," as Hollywood's A-list stars flocked to the first major awards show of the year despite a series of scandals swirling around its organizers. Spielberg, who also took home the award for best director, thanked his family including his late mother, who he said would be "up there kvelling about this right now." "The Fabelmans" covers the troubled marriage of Spielberg's parents, anti-Semitic bullying, and the director's early efforts making zero-budget movies with his teenage friends.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and the military leader of neighbouring Sudan Lt Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan have agreed to peacefully settle the long-running border dispute that has led to armed clashes. The talks between the two leaders follow the recent flare-up in the volatile fertile border region of al-Fashaga claimed by both countries. The two leaders held talks on the sidelines of a meeting of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, a seven-country regional body, in Kenya's capital, Nairobi.

Leaders of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development member states are meeting in Nairobi, as East Africa faces its worst drought in seven decades, and the region grapples with several armed conflicts. Nigeria's Information Minister Lai Mohammed tells Africa Today why his government rejects a call by US Senators to designate Nigeria as a country of concern over attacks on Christians. Plus, we take you to the exhibition celebrating the history of African fashion at London's Victoria and Albert Museum.

The second phase of an UN-led intra-Sudanese political dialogue is scheduled to begin on Tuesday amid divisions among the country's political parties over their participation. Several parties said they will boycott the talks aimed at resolving the political crisis that followed the 25 October military coup. The UN, the African Union and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development bloc are seeking to mediate between the military, pro-democracy activists and opposition parties. The US has urged all Sudanese civilian and military actors to utilise the process to achieve democratic progress and national stability while supporting the UN-led talks.

In this episode, we speak with Ayan Mahamoud, Senior Coordinator of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), a regional economic community with eight member states in the Horn of Africa. She walks us through some the region's key climate-related risks to peace and security, and how IGAD is working to address these risks within the regional security cooperation framework. Ayan highlights success stories and some of the areas where investments and improvements are still needed to boost the region's security and development.Download CSEN's Horn of Africa policy paper

The United Nations Mission in South Sudan and the Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission are urging partners in the unity government to respect the peace agreement; The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) has wrapped up a three-day training for journalists from east Africa's Djibouti, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan and Uganda on disinformation and countering violent extremism

Authorities in Jonglei State say thousands of civilians displaced by recent inter-communal violence in Bor County are in dire need of food, medicine and shelter; A delegation from the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, or IGAD, is in Khartoum to meet with Sudanese leaders in government and society to find ways to resolve the political crisis in the country

A Kaldor Centre Virtual Conference key panel session held on 19 October 2021. When people are on the move from the impacts of disasters or climate change, how does the law help or hinder them? Is refugee law useful? Human rights law? Migration law? What about regional free movement agreements? How is individual agency enhanced or eroded by legal frameworks? What about people who move but don't cross an international border, and what about people who can't move at all? Our experts will reflect on how these questions are answered across different times and places. Hear from Bruce Burson, New Zealand Immigration and Protection Tribunal; Lucy Daxbacher, Head of Mission to Uganda, Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD); Walter Kälin, Envoy of the Chair, Platform on Disaster Displacement; Caroline Zickgraf, Deputy Director, The Hugo Observatory; and chaired by Tamara Wood, Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law.

Framework for marine plastic pollution interventions A new study, published in the journal Conservation Biology, has presented a framework to estimate the costs and benefits of plastic pollution interventions. The authors were interested in the socioeconomic and ecological aspects of the costs and benefits. The development of their framework was informed by a net cost equation: "Net cost is equal to the cost of implementing an intervention (direct, indirect, and nonmonetary [NM]) minus recovered costs and benefits (monetary and NM) produced by the interventions. If the sum is positive, there is a net cost. If it is negative, there is a net benefit" (Murphy et al., 2021). Researchers suggest that the study "provides an approach to estimate and compare the costs of a range of interventions across sociopolitical and economic contexts''. The study was led by Arizona State University. Read More: https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.13827 Drier conditions in Eastern Africa Seasonal forecast shows that Kenya and Somalia are likely heading for drier than usual conditions from October to December 2021. According to data from the Climate Prediction and Applications Centre (ICPAC) at the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), warmer than average temperatures are expected across Eastern Africa. A combination of poor rainfall and warmer than usual temperatures will cause severe food insecurity in the region, ICPAC warns. Read More: https://public.wmo.int/en/media/news/drier-and-warmer-season-forecast-across-eastern-africa

Today's guest is the effervescent, resilient, and powerful Agnes Igoye. Agnes is Uganda's Deputy National Coordinator for the prevention of human trafficking and is a Labour Migration Expert at the Intergovernmental Authority on Development. She's also a Senior New Voices Fellow at the Aspen Institute and teaches an online child protection course at Harvard University. Agnes has both lived through tremendous hardship and lives with contagious joy. At age 14, Agnes fled from the Lord's Resistance Army when they raided her village. After a narrow escape, she endured the long journey that eventually led her to a camp for internally displaced people. Agnes's past has carved a deep empathy and determination inside her, which she's used as fuel for her impressive career path. Agnes was a Fulbright Hubert H. Humphrey Fellow at the University of Minnesota specializing in Human Trafficking Prevention & Policy, and she studied forced migration at the University of Oxford. She also has her master's in Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School. Throughout this conversation we discuss nurturing the good in others, how our environments shape us, and finding purpose amidst challenges. Through her work as a mentor at the Clinton Global Initiative, Agnes is actively sharing her wisdom with the next generation and we're honored she said yes to sharing her story here. Full show notes, downloadables, and links are also available at empoweredhumanacademy.com/34 Keep the conversation going... Table Question: Who's someone who saw and nurtured the good in you before you saw it in yourself? Journal Prompt: If the sky's not even the limit, write out a list of dreams you'd dream for yourself. Action Step: Brainstorm a tangible way to love yourself this week, then do it. View the printable worksheet on Google Docs Further exploration: Follow Agnes on Facebook This is a production of Lightward, Inc.

In September 2018, South Sudan signed a peace accord to end five years of civil war. However, the agreement remains extremely fragile, and over two years later key parts of the unity government between President Salva Kiir and opposition leader Riek Machar – now Vice President –  have not been constituted. According to Betty Bigombe, Uganda’s special envoy to South Sudan, the peace process suffers from an overemphasis on power sharing, a lack of political will and a region that has placed the peace process on the backburner. Betty joins Alan Boswell to examine the mediation process led by East Africa’s Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and why some claim the South Sudan people don’t own the deal. They also look at the role of Uganda and Sudan, former foes, in reconciling the two main parties. Betty tells Alan that a more inclusive national dialogue is needed that brings together the political elites, civil society and refugees. They also discuss whether IGAD should continue to lead the mediation process, the role of the African Union, and the future of Kiir and Machar. For more information, explore Crisis Group’s analysis on our South Sudan page.

Members of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) endorse a draft protocol to end cross-border restrictions among member states; the rebel National Salvation Front opposes the formation of the unity transitional government; and Ruweng County residents petition the Supreme Court to terminate contracts with oil companies operating in the area.

The regional bloc Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) summons the parties to South Sudan’s revitalized peace agreement to explain the slow progress in implementing the peace deal; President Salva Kiir meets Darfur rebel leader; members of South Sudan’s national dialogue want the police to arrest gangs on the streets of Juba town.

John Bruni and Col. Sandy Wade OBE (Ret'd) examine how solid the rapprochement between Ethiopia and Eritrea is. What is the likelihood of this peace being a permanent feature of the Horn of Africa? Here is extra information on some of the terms used in this episode for those who may not be familiar with them: The Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) is the current ruling party of Ethiopia (formed in 1988 as a resistance group to the Derg military regime) Ginbot 7 - an Ethiopian opposition group (est. 2008) IGAD - an acronym for the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (est. 1986) Birr - Ethiopian currency Nakfa - Eritrean currency COMESA - an acronym for the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (formed in 1994) RSS feed: http//feeds.soundcloud.com/users/soundcloud:users:141166782/sounds.rss STRATEGIKON can also be found on the SAGE International Australia (SIA) website: www.sageinternational.org.au For more information from SAGE International Australia, follow SIA on Facebook, Twitter & LinkedIn. If you are enjoying our podcast, please help us out by liking us on our various social media and podcasting platforms and by telling your friends and colleagues about STRATEGIKON. Many thanks! Support the show.

John Bruni and Col. Sandy Wade OBE (Ret'd) examine how solid the rapprochement between Ethiopia and Eritrea is. What is the likelihood of this peace being a permanent feature of the Horn of Africa? Here is extra information on some of the terms used in this episode for those who may not be familiar with them: The Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) is the current ruling party of Ethiopia (formed in 1988 as a resistance group to the Derg military regime) Ginbot 7 - an Ethiopian opposition group (est. 2008) IGAD - an acronym for the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (est. 1986) Birr - Ethiopian currency Nakfa - Eritrean currency COMESA - an acronym for the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (formed in 1994) RSS feed: http//feeds.soundcloud.com/users/soundcloud:users:141166782/sounds.rss STRATEGIKON can also be found on the SAGE International Australia (SIA) website: www.sageinternational.org.au For more information from SAGE International Australia, follow SIA on Facebook, Twitter & LinkedIn. If you are enjoying our podcast, please help us out by liking us on our various social media and podcasting platforms and by telling your friends and colleagues about STRATEGIKON. Many thanks! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Displacement has become a common feature of life in East Africa over the past decade, leading to a wide range of creative solutions, according to Caroline Njuki, senior program coordinator at the Intergovernmental Authority on Development’s regional secretariat on forced displacement and mixed migration. Njuki discusses the socioeconomic integration of displaced populations in this seventh episode of the Peacebuilders podcast series. Posting weekly on Tuesday mornings, Peacebuilders features nine episodes from East Africa on everything from the future of the African Union to immigration to media and elections in Kenya. The interviewers are Aaron Stanley, a program assistant with Carnegie Corporation of New York’s international security program, and Scott Malcomson, an author, journalist, and former government official and NGO executive. Malcomson was a Carnegie Corporation media fellow in 2015-18, and is currently a fellow in international security at the New American Foundation and director of special projects at Strategic Insight Group. Podcast Transcript (Photo credit: Robert Oxley/ DFID)

Mark Whitlock is an adjunct lecturer in Columbia University's Negotiation and Conflict Resolution program where he teaches in the Capstone Thesis seminars. Whitlock’s research and practice examines identity-based political violence and decision-making, emphasizing operational early warning and response (EWR). His research has specifically analyzed the theory to practice nexus, forecasting writ-large, and the prevention of mass atrocities/mass killing. He has conducted research and consulted on regional early warning architectures primarily in Sub-Saharan Africa and Central Europe with organizations including The Economic Community Of West African States (ECOWAS), the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the UN Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS) and The Visegrad Group. He recently coordinated research for the Africa Task Force on the Prevention of Mass Atrocities (ATF), and contributed to the development of an internal handbook on conflict prevention and decision making for UNOWAS political staff while based in Dakar, Senegal. At Columbia (SIPA and SPS) he has contributed to developing online simulations for graduate students that explore the aforementioned themes highlighting conflict analysis, communication, and decision-making. Whitlock holds a graduate degree in International Affairs from Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA), concentrating in international security policy and conflict resolution with focus in Africa and the Middle East. Whitlock has lived, worked and traveled throughout Africa, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East, serving first as a biology teacher at Nkonya Secondary School with Peace Corps Ghana, teaching in Tunis, Tunisia, and researching political violence in Ethiopia, Haiti, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Lebanon, Indonesia, Israel, Rwanda, Burundi, Senegal, and Côte d’Ivoire.

The Department of International Relations and Co-operation (DIRCO) says claims that the former Vice President of South Sudan, Riek Machar is under house arrest in Pretoria, are not true. Media reports say the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (an eight-country East African group) had asked Pretoria to make sure Machar did not leave. He was previously fired as the Vice President of South Sudan in July 2013. The Head of Public Policy at DIRCO, Clayson Monyela joins us on the line to tell us more.