Tristan McConnell

Occupy Kenya: Protesters March In Nairobi For An End To Violence

A march and sit-in dubbed Tumechoka, meaning ‘We are tired’ in Swahili, protests government inaction in the face of rising insecurity and terrorism in Kenya.

Tristan McConnell
By Tristan McConnell
occupy1

NAIROBI, Kenya — Apathy and thuggery greeted an attempt to kickstart an Occupy movement in Kenya to protest against government inaction in the face of rising insecurity and terrorism. The march and sit-in dubbed #Tumechoka, meaning “We are tired” in Swahili, was called on Tuesday after the execution of 28 people on a bus in Mandera in the far

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The Ebola Outbreak, In 15 Numbers

The current outbreak is on track to kill more people than all previous outbreaks combined. There aren’t enough doctors. And women are at particular risk.

Tristan McConnell
By Tristan McConnell

Ebola continues to spread in West Africa. Health workers predict the outbreak will continue for at least another six months meaning it will, undoubtedly, be the deadliest outbreak on record. Here are 15 numbers that help put it in perspective. 1,350 Number of people killed in the current Ebola outbreak in West Africa, as of 20 August 280 Number

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Inside The Fight For Somalia’s Future

Training the army that will either stabilize the country, or fail it.

Tristan McConnell
By Tristan McConnell
Somalia

QORYOOLEY, Somalia — In the end, it wasn’t clan militias or Islamic militants but a government soldier who killed Dr. Osman. Over his 54 years, the pharmacist had earned a reputation for fair dealing in business, kindness among friends, and piety in the mosque. A family man, he had survived Somalia’s clan wars and then kept his head down when

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Did Whistle-Selling Hipsters In California End A War In Eastern Congo?

Does online “clicktivism” really make an impact?

Tristan McConnell
By Tristan McConnell

  NAIROBI, Kenya — Soon after the end of the M23 rebellion that threw parts of eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) into conflict for much of the last two years, a blog post titled "We Stopped M23" appeared on the website of a California-based nonprofit called Falling Whistles. The slick homepage describes the organization as

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The Big Business Of Somali Piracy

A new report by the World Bank, UN and Interpol uncovers the business of international piracy.

Tristan McConnell
By Tristan McConnell

  NAIROBI, Kenya — Piracy off the coast of Somalia has been at a low ebb this year but the boat-borne bandits have had a good run, raking in over $400 million in ransom payments since 2005. That's according to a new report authored by the World Bank, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and Interpol’s Maritime Piracy Task

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M23 rebels in Congo: What A difference A Year Makes

Analysis: Is the once powerful rebel group today at a breaking point? It looks that way.

Tristan McConnell
By Tristan McConnell

  NAIROBI, Kenya — Is a bloody conflict in a key part of Africa coming to a surprising end? A rebel group that less than a year ago seized control of the largest city in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo has suffered a string of military defeats during an unusually effective offensive by the Congolese army, backed by a United

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More Westgate Mall Attack Details Emerge. And They’re Not Comforting

Kenya’s worst terrorist attack in 15 years, now one month old, is still provoking more questions than answers.

Tristan McConnell
By Tristan McConnell

  NAIROBI, Kenya — Grief is giving way to anger in Kenya a month after the country suffered its worst terrorist attack in 15 years when gunmen stormed an upmarket shopping mall in the capital, killing at least 67 people. As government officials prevaricate and dissemble, the evidence increasingly points to a disastrously bungled

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