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Showing posts from March, 2025

Botswana’s Diamond Dilemma: The Impact of Lab-Grown Diamonds and De Beers’ Sale on the SADC Region

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       Since its inception in 1888, De Beers has maintained a stronghold on the international diamond market through a cartel-like system that controlled supply and kept prices elevated. The longstanding collaboration between De Beers and the Botswana government, through their equally owned venture Debswana, has been a benchmark for resource management and fair distribution of benefits in Africa (Wyk, 2010). However, Anglo American's 2024 announcement to withdraw from De Beers signifies a pivotal change. Experts believe that Anglo's move was influenced by decreasing profit margins and increasing competition from synthetic diamond producers, whose market share expanded from 1% in 2015 to over 15% by 2023 (Shah, 2025; Bain & Company, 2023). This shift prompts concerns about the viability of Botswana's diamond-driven economic model, especially since De Beers has traditionally overseen not just mining but also the marketing, branding, and integration of Botswana'...
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The Implications of SADC Troop Withdrawal from Eastern Congo on Regional Stability

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                                                                    Photo credits: The Chronicle ZW The withdrawal of SADC troops from the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) represents a significant turning point in the conflict dynamics within the region. SADC's military intervention, which has for years remained at the core of containing the activities of armed militias and supporting the government of the DRC. The withdrawal of these troops raises pressing questions about the future of regional stability, security governance, and the broader implications for the DRC and its neighbours. The rationale behind this withdrawal, the immediate security void that it creates, and the potential for increased conflict are all paramount in ascertaining the long-term stability of the region. The SADC and EAC Foreign Minis...
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JNIM

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JNIM Fighters in the Sahel. Photo credits: Long War Journal Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), al-Qaeda's most formidable African affiliate, has evolved into a sophisticated hybrid threat across the Sahel, effectively combining guerrilla warfare,  economic exploitation, and community co-option, generating an estimated annual revenue exceeding $100 million from illicit activities,  and achieving a battlefield lethality surpassing regional military capabilities to control territories larger than Belgium;  this short analysis, drawing upon classified intelligence, defector accounts, and field observations, examines JNIM’s structure and development,  revealing an ideological shift from global jihad to localised legitimacy under Iyad Ag Ghaly, wherein the group strategically exploits ethnic grievances, climate vulnerabilities,  and anti-colonial sentiment, as evidenced by their 2023 "Charter of the Sahel" aiming for an "Islamic...
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