After a three-year delay, Afghanistan finally held its long overdue parliamentary elections over the weekend. The lead up to the elections was marred by intense violence, leading to delays in voting in some provinces. USIP’s Scott Worden examines the impact of violence, the elections’ credibility and what implications the polls will have for the peace process and the critical 2019 presidential election.
Read the full commentary here.
Photo: Christopher Allison
Drawing on extensive field research in Kenya and Liberia around the 2017 elections, this report from USIP uses local survey data to evaluate the effectiveness of seven prevention measures thought to reduce the risk of election violence. Its recommendations, directed primarily to the international community but offering utility for regional and national agencies, offer ways to strengthen existing practices or address shortcomings and gaps in programming and enhance their ability to shape environments conducive to peaceful elections.
Photo: AMISOM
South Sudan’s government is spending millions of dollars next week to celebrate a “final final” peace deal to end a five-year civil war. One problem: The rebel leader who agreed to share power is reluctant to come home. Riek Machar’s hesitation amid security concerns is the latest sign that one of Africa’s deadliest conflicts might be merely on pause.
Get the full story from the Washington Post here.
Photo: Radio Tamazu
A four-way summit on Syria attended by the leaders of Turkey, Russia, Germany and France has begun in the Turkish city of Istanbul. The meeting on Saturday, hosted by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, will see the participation of Russian President Vladimir Putin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron. Staffan de Mistura, the UN special Syria envoy, is also attending the summit, which is expected to be followed by a joint statement.
Follow the story on Al Jazeera here.
Photo: Staffan de Mistura, Preiss / MSC
Mozambique’s main opposition party, Renamo, said on Wednesday that peace talks with the government were on hold due to its allegations of fraud in this month’s local elections.
Get the full story here.
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