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koslofer.bsky.social
k
@koslofer.bsky.social
660 followers 290 following 9 posts
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econgeo.bsky.social
Some excellent recent work by my research partner Ben Mkalama.

www.techpolicy.press/how-digital-...

www.dgb-bildungswerk.de/gute-arbeit/...

Our own recent works @financeandspace.bsky.social and SER @sasemeeting.bsky.social :
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
academic.oup.com/ser/article/...
How Digital Colonialism Threatens Kenya’s Silicon Savannah | TechPolicy.Press
Global power asymmetries are reshaping, and potentially undermining, Kenya's technological future, Ben Mkalama and Marine Ragnet write.
www.techpolicy.press
November 3, 2025 at 11:00 PM
Reposted by k
zekuzelalem.bsky.social
THREAD: this investigation took up over half my year, but it's here in @thecontinent.org:
A Djiboutian drone strike in January was depicted as a army operation targeting rebels. It was actually a massacre of civilians. The bloodshed & coverup implicating Ethiopia, Djibouti, France & Turkiye.
#OSINT
The Continent 27 SEPTEMBER 2025 | ISSUE 215 15 INVESTIGATION The Djiboutian massacre Ethiopia won’t acknowledge Djibouti drones killed eight people on the other side of its border with Ethiopia. Djibouti claimed they were terrorists. Ethiopia said nothing. This investigation found that some of the dead were Ethiopians, revealing another episode in Addis’s tendency to let its neighbours kill its citizens with impunity. Crossing the line: Djibouti’s bombs landed inside Ethiopia, killing civilians – not armed fighters. zecharias zelalem On 30 January this year, a drone manned from Djibouti dropped a bomb on a funeral gathering in Siyaru, a remote, semi-arid village near the Ethiopia Djibouti border. As rescuers rushed in, a second bomb dropped. And then a third. At least eight people were killed, including three children. Several others were injured. Given the village’s remoteness, the incident might have gone unreported if graphic images of the dead hadn’t spread across Ethiopian social media. A statement from the Djibouti’s defence ministry said the drone struck rebel fighters from the Front for the Restoration of Unity and Democracy (Frud), a Djiboutian political party with a military wing. It has been fighting for Afar interests in Djibouti since the 1990s. The Afar are a community split by the colonial border separating Ethiopia, Djibouti, and Eritrea. “Eight terrorists were neutralised on site,” said a Djibouti military statement. “Unfortunately, collateral damage among Djiboutian civilians in the area has been documented.” International media, including Voice of America, Agence France Presse, and Radio France Internationale reported this version of events. Now, new findings from an open In recovery: Mariam Mohammed Abdullah was injured in the drone strike. source investigation by The Continent reveal a different reality. The bombs landed inside Ethiopia, not in Djibouti, and civilians – not armed fighters – were killed. That distinction matters. It shows Ethiopia is once again tolerating a foreign military targeting its own citizens, as it did with Eritrea during the Tigray conflict. A transparent lie Even before the ink could dry on the Djiboutian military’s statement, The Addis Standard and human rights groups in Djibouti were emphatic that the strike had actually occurred inside Ethiopia’s Afar region. But Alexis Mohamed, an adviser to Djiboutian President Ismaïl Omar Guelleh, rubbished these reports in now-deleted social media posts. The Continent got to work to figure out what really happened. Over the course of eight months, we collected eyewitness testimonies, interviewed human rights activists in Ethiopia and Djibouti, and examined images and footage from the strike. Our findings align with those of Djiboutian activists, who pinpointed Siyaru in Ethiopia’s Afar region as the site of the strike. The ammunition residue found on the night of the strike confirms the bomb was manufactured by Roketsan, a state run weapons manufacturer in Türkiye. Former US army explosives expert Trevor Ball identified t…
September 28, 2025 at 4:14 AM
Reposted by k
lrb.co.uk
‘Invoking “our girls” is a familiar tactic. Childhood is a canvas onto which fantasies of vulnerability, goodness and citizenship are easily projected; daughterhood allows these fantasies to be gendered, too.’

Helen Charman on asylum hotels, from the blog: www.lrb.co.uk/blog/2025/se...
Helen Charman | Of Flags and Families
The new home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, said in May (in an interview with Michael Gove for the Spectator) that she has...
www.lrb.co.uk
September 11, 2025 at 11:49 AM
Reposted by k
smartitaz.bsky.social
"The making of migrants’ wageless life: Exploiting by debasing” is now out in @economyandspace.bsky.social

journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
It investigates value extraction by debasing lives, which encapsulates psycho-physical debilitation and socio-economic devaluation
The making of migrants’ wageless life: Exploiting by debasing - Martina Tazzioli, 2025
This article engages with current debates on value extraction from migrants and claims that it is necessary to complicate analyses that insist exclusively eithe...
journals.sagepub.com
September 9, 2025 at 7:29 AM
Reposted by k
nanjala.bsky.social
Some thoughts from me on youth in revolt in Kenya for @hammerandhope.bsky.social. hammerandhope.org/article/keny...
In Kenya, Gen Z Battles Corruption and Police Violence
What keeps the Ruto administration running from crisis to crisis remains a complete unwillingness to listen to people and an unswerving commitment to responding to any form of dissent with violence.
hammerandhope.org
August 13, 2025 at 7:22 PM
Reposted by k
thecontinent.org
All Protocol Observed

Welcome to Issue 208 of The Continent

A gold discovery near Zambia’s West Lunga Park has triggered a chaotic rush. Thousands have flooded Kikonge, clashes have turned deadly, and illegal buyers are cashing in. A gold rush means risk, riches, and unrest.

bit.ly/TC_208
This is the cover of The Continent, dated 9 August 2025, Issue 208. It is illustrated by Wynona Mutisi. The background shows a forest scene at dusk, painted in shades of blue and purple. Among the trees are tents in muted yellows, greens, and oranges, suggesting a mining camp. In the foreground, a man in a hoodie and carrying a pickaxe stands over another man who has fallen backwards, reaching up toward him. To the left, two uniformed soldiers aim rifles at the scene, partly hidden by the trees. The bottom of the image shows dark earth embedded with scattered gold nuggets. The headline reads: “Multinational and deadly: Zambia’s latest gold rush.”
August 8, 2025 at 5:34 PM
Reposted by k
nisrinelamin.bsky.social
I recommend reading this report by Dr. Suliman Baldo @SulimanBaldo and Ahmed Soliman on gold and the war in Sudan. It demonstrates that most of the gold extracted from Sudan is ending up in the UAE, including gold mined in SAF controlled areas.

www.chathamhouse.org/sites/defaul...
Map of gold exports from RSF and SAF controlled areas out of the country (primarily to the UAE).
August 7, 2025 at 3:07 AM
Reposted by k
newhumanitarian.bsky.social
Community and refugee groups are doing a remarkable job, but they need help, writes Nanfuka Fatuma:
Grassroots groups in Uganda are keeping GBV services going despite the cuts
Community and refugee groups are doing a remarkable job, but they need help.
buff.ly
July 30, 2025 at 10:53 AM
Reposted by k
alanlester.bsky.social
1/7 Edinburgh university has released a report on its institutional complicity in slavery & colonial exploitation. A few observations on why its ‘shocking’ findings shouldn’t surprise us, & how History Reclaimed & their right wing media allies will likely react:

www.theguardian.com/education/20...
Edinburgh University had ‘outsized’ role in creating racist scientific theories, inquiry finds
Exclusive: Investigation finds one of Britain’s oldest and most prestigious universities benefited from transatlantic slavery and was haven for white supremacist theories
www.theguardian.com
July 27, 2025 at 8:16 AM
Reposted by k
stuartelden.bsky.social
Kerry Goettlich, From Frontiers to Borders: How Colonial Technicians Created Modern Territoriality - Cambridge University Press, August 2025
www.cambridge.org/gb/universit...
Cover of book, with photograph of a group of men with surveying equipment standing in front of a mountain range
July 25, 2025 at 6:59 AM
Reposted by k
newhumanitarian.bsky.social
"People know they will die from either malnutrition or gunfire. I don’t think that should be considered as having options."
Nour ElAssy on the disaster of the new US- and Israeli-backed aid scheme in Gaza: ⬇️
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation is a grotesque theatre of cruelty
The new aid scheme is part of a plan to strip Palestinians of their homes and dignity, and leave them to an uncertain fate, writes Nour ElAssy.
buff.ly
June 3, 2025 at 6:01 AM
Reposted by k
cobbo3.bsky.social
Namibia this week will hold its first national commemoration for victims of mass killings by German occupiers in the first genocide of the 20th century. Between 1904 and 1905. the Germans slaughtered 60,000 Herero and 10,000 Nama people.
Namibia to hold first commemoration of German genocide this week
Namibia this week will hold its first national commemoration for victims of mass killings by German occupiers in what is widely recognised as the first genocide of the 20th century, the government sai...
www.rfi.fr
May 27, 2025 at 9:48 AM
Reposted by k
casquebleu.org
Germany did an excellent job at hosting the 2025 Peacekeeping Ministerial earlier this month. But 10 yrs on, has the ministerial process run its course? I argue that it reinforces the primacy of the military in #peacekeeping and an outdated approach to force generation.

cic.nyu.edu/resources/re...
Reflections on the 2025 Peacekeeping Ministerial | Center on International Cooperation
Eugene Chen reflects on the 2025 Ministerial Meeting on peacebuilding in Berlin and what it means for the future of peace operations.
cic.nyu.edu
May 22, 2025 at 1:28 PM
Reposted by k
africasacountry.bsky.social
Europe’s flagship development plan promises investment and partnership—but delivers debt, displacement, and old colonial patterns dressed up in green. africasacountry.com/2025/05/the-...
The global gateway to nowhere
Europe’s flagship development plan promises investment and partnership—but delivers debt, displacement, and old colonial patterns dressed up in green.
africasacountry.com
May 23, 2025 at 3:19 PM
Reposted by k
nanjala.bsky.social
The Ruto administration celebrates World Press Freedom day by arresting four filmmakers who made a film for the BBC about the killings protesters at parliament last year. This is the film they do not want you to see. www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...
BBC News - Eye Investigations, Blood Parliament
Africa Eye investigates deaths at Kenya's 25 June finance bill protest.
www.bbc.co.uk
May 3, 2025 at 7:20 AM
Reposted by k
thenation.com
It's not just Trump learning from Bukele. Salvadorans and their history of struggle should reveal to US leftists the outlines of the broad antifascist front that will always be the best antidote to the reactionary right, writes @robvato.bsky.social.
The Deadly Seriousness Behind Trump and Bukele’s “Joke”
The Trump administration is learning dangerous lessons from El Salvador’s president, but there’s also much that the US left can learn from Salvadoran antifascists.
www.thenation.com
April 14, 2025 at 10:05 PM
Reposted by k
nisrinelamin.bsky.social
Friends please watch this powerful trailer or a documentary on the brave volunteers of Sudan’s emergency response rooms and donate to
sudansolidarity.com if you feel so moved.

instagram.com/reel/DIbf5lt...
Home - Sudan Solidarity Collective
Solidarity with Sudan! Support the Emergency Response Rooms doing life saving work in Sudan by donating to the Sudan Solidarity Fund. Workshops4Sudan is a new fundraising initiative of the Sudan Solid...
sudansolidarity.com
April 15, 2025 at 1:53 AM
Reposted by k
justsecurity.org
Israel’s revised registration process for international NGOs aiding Palestinians creates a chilling effect against criticism and accountability, writes @eitandi.bsky.social

He has experienced the effect firsthand:
www.justsecurity.org/109772/israe...
New Israeli Guidelines Threaten to Eliminate Humanitarian Action in the Occupied Palestinian Territory Almost Entirely
A revised registration process for international NGOs aiding Palestinians creates a chilling effect against criticism and accountability.
www.justsecurity.org
April 8, 2025 at 1:05 PM
Reposted by k
gerritkurtz.bsky.social
The power struggle in #Tigray seems to be over, for now, with the appointment of Lt. Gen. Tadesse Werede as new president of the interim regional administration today. Nonetheless, he will face similar challenges as before, including pressure because of the lack of implementation of Pretoria.
April 8, 2025 at 9:23 AM
Reposted by k
cobbo3.bsky.social
Kenya govt, humanitarian agencies, hatch ambitious plan for Kakuma, one of Africa's largest refugee camps, to evolve into a city and be self reliant as aid dwindles. Can it work?
Can one of Africa's largest refugee camps evolve into a city?
Windswept and remote, set in the cattle-rustling lands of Kenya’s northwest, Kakuma was never meant to be permanently settled. It became one of Africa’s most famous refugee camps by accident as peopl...
www.aol.com
April 8, 2025 at 8:38 AM
Reposted by k
yguichaoua.bsky.social
I get the idea that participation in logistical operations for the benefit of counterterrorism forces is not a great display of impartiality. Still, MINUSMA in Mali was unanimously considered inoffensive. On impartiality, the paper I'd like to read is why the Moura report was blocked for so long
UN Peacekeeping and Impartiality: A Fading Relationship | Ethics & International Affairs | Cambridge Core
UN Peacekeeping and Impartiality: A Fading Relationship - Volume 38 Issue 4
www.cambridge.org
April 8, 2025 at 5:53 AM
Reposted by k
africacenter.bsky.social
Joint stabilization planning in Somalia has been hampered by unfamiliarity between military and civilian actors. This has constrained operational coordination at several levels.

Learn more in our latest Spotlight:
africacenter.org/spo...
April 3, 2025 at 3:40 PM
Reposted by k
egmontinstitute.bsky.social
📄𝗡𝗘𝗪 𝗣𝗨𝗕𝗟𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 by @judithverweijen.bsky.social, @kvlassen.bsky.social & Godefroid Muzalia

““We Are Caught Between Violence and Famine” – Analysis of the Deepening Crisis Affecting Eastern DR Congo”

#DRC

𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 👉 bit.ly/3FLayRl
April 2, 2025 at 8:46 AM
Reposted by k
newhumanitarian.bsky.social
It is irrelevant that the aid system can be improved because regardless of how many orphans you save, what really matters – what we should not lose sight of – is the orphan-crushing machine.
Reform aid? Beware the orphan-crushing machine
Justice not charity: Yes, the humanitarian system can be improved. But that’s irrelevant.
buff.ly
March 24, 2025 at 1:00 PM
Reposted by k
timnitgebru.bsky.social
I started hating the very normal phrase "African solutions to African problems" after #TigrayGenocide as they were using it to tell anyone exposing their evil selves that they're "imperialists" & all the so-called revolutionaries in the west seeing that keyword parroted regime genocide propaganda.
tekgw.bsky.social Teklehaymanot G. Weldemichel @tekgw.bsky.social · Mar 17
I look forward to this event where I will be speaking about the weaponisation of Pan Africanism to enable and conceal the genocide in #Tigray.

Register to join us in Birmingham or online 👇
www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...
March 17, 2025 at 9:32 PM