Posts From Adam Ragozzino
Hundreds of Nigerian Students Kidnapped… Again: Is Nigeria a Failed State?
The NY Times reported another kidnapping in northern Nigeria this past Friday. Armed men abducted 317 girls from the Government Girls Secondary School in Jangebe, Zamfara state. One police officer was killed during the attack.
This is the second mass abduction in as many weeks and part of an alarming trend going back to 2014, when the violent extremist organization (VEO) Boko Haram abducted 276 girls from a school in Chibok, Borno state.
Burkina Faso’s Elections to Proceed Without the People
A change to the electoral code for impending elections in Burkina Faso raises concerns over the country’s future, in a region that is seeing a growing trend of incumbent politicians engineering political systems to remain in power.
Ivory Coast’s Election is Heading Off the Rails
Cote d’Ivoire’s President Alassane Dramane Ouattara increased the possibility of political instability when he announced in August that he was running for a controversial third term. The move comes at a time when the country’s economic forecast has been downgraded due to COVID-19, and the region is experiencing a rash of leaders trying to extend their time in office—a trend called third-termism, as well as increasing activity from violent extremist organizations.
