A Selection of my Published Work
Women’s agency in the DRC War
As the M23 war escalates in eastern Congo, women have borne the brunt of ongoing violence. But they have also became champions of peace. Read the full article for New Internationalist.
How a Sudanese refugee in Uganda is keeping his homeland alive through food
Sudanese refugees in Uganda are using food to connect with the country they left behind. Read the full article for The Christian Science Monitor.
‘It’s needless death’: Ugandan Activists Decry Restrictive Abortion Laws
Abortion is generally illegal in Uganda, and fear of imprisonment leads many to resort to extreme and unsafe practices. Read the full story for Al Jazeera.
Senseless Deaths Mount in Congo. Dignified Mourning Helps Salve the Pain.
In the displacement camps of eastern Congo, communities unite to mourn the dead and remember each life cut short by war. Read the full story for Christian Science Monitor.
East Africa’s Mpox Responders Fight Stigma with ‘Love and Dignity’
Drawing on lessons from past epidemics like HIV and COVID-19, doctors in East Africa are educating communities about mpox and fighting stigma to stop the disease's spread. Read the full article for The Christian Science Monitor.
Photo Credit: Arlette Bashizi
In the Shadow of War, Life Begins Anew in Congolese Maternity Ward
A maternity ward in eastern Congo is a testament to the trauma of war and how, in spite of it, life carries stubbornly on. Read the full story for The Christian Science Monitor.
In Congo, Embroidery Artist Stitches an Archive of War
Lucie Kamuswekera has documented each of the conflicts in Congo with her needle and thread to ensure its wars is not forgotten. She’s also passing the craft on to her grandchildren. Read the full story for The Christian Science Monitor.
Photo credit: Hugh Kinsella Cunningham
The Crisis in Congo Didn’t Start with M23’s Resurgance
The M23’s resurgence in eastern Congo reflects contemporary tensions and rivalries. But it is also deeply rooted in the volatile region’s history and the relationships between Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Read the full article for World Politics Review.
‘We are all on the front line’: DR Congo’s young women rebels take on M23
Local self-defence militias called the Wazalendo are taking up arms against the M23 group that’s launching attacks in DRC. Read the full article for Al Jazeera.
‘Double attack’: The curse of natural gas and armed groups in Mozambique
As Cabo Delgado province juggles large LNG reserves and ongoing violence, vulnerable civilians are paying the price. Read the full article for Al Jazeera.
Photo Credit: AFP
Islamists target northern Mozambique – especially the children
Since 2017, children in northern Mozambique have grown up in the shadow of a violent civil war. The experience of one father and son shows how that conflict has reshaped childhood for an entire generation. Read the full article for The Christian Science Monitor.
Mozambique’s Bloody Conflict is Spreading
Northern Mozambique has been in the grips of a brutal, islamist insurgency for the better part of a decade. Now, the war is spreading with civilians on the frontlines. Read the full article for World Politics Review.
Photo Credit: Associated Press
The Women Keeping Peace in Uganda
Climate change is making the work of conflict prevention even more challenging in the border region of Karamoja, but a dedicated group of women are working to bring peace and prosperity to their homeland. Read the full article for Prospect.
The trial of Kwoyelo: Fate of LRA rebel commander divides northern Uganda
Thomas Kwoyelo, the only Lord’s Resistance Army commander to be tried for his crimes in Uganda, has been in detention since 2009. Read the full article for Al Jazeera.
Uganda’s First Oscar-nominated film tells story of Bobi Wine persecution
The film retells the political persecution of popstar-turned-politician Bobi Wine as he takes on the longtime Ugandan leader. Read the full article for Al Jazeera.
‘They Want to Erase Us’
A harsh anti-homosexuality act in Uganda has led to an increase in abuse and harassment against the LGBTQI+ community, but activists are also asserting their own determination to get the law overturned. Read the full article for the New Internationalist.
Photo Credit: Reuters/New Internationalist
African Eye Doctor Looks on the Bright Side
Dr. Gladys Atto is the only eye doctor in remote Karamoja, Uganda’s poorest region. Her small team works to restore vision to farmers and pastoralists there. Read the full story for The Christian Science Monitor.
Uganda Could be Adding a New Tool for Repression to Museveni’s Kit
A controversial new transport monitoring system in Uganda has been criticized by human rights activists as a violation of the right to privacy, especially in a country known for suppressing political dissent. Read the full article for World Politics Review.
Sisters in Support: Decriminalising Sex Work from Inside Kampala Brothels
In Uganda, sex workers face stigma and abuse, along with disdain from a police force meant to protect them. But a sisterhood within the brothels in helping them to navigate these challenges, while fighting to decriminalise the profession. Read. the full article for Al Jazeera.
Photo Credit: Sofi Ludin/Al Jazeera
Don't talk, act: How a Ugandan city is getting kids off the streets
Residents of Gulu are used to large numbers of children sleeping rough on the streets. For 30 years, the city was the epicentre of the Lord’s Resistance Army Conflict. Now, the children are escaping abuse or neglect. In this difficult context a small group of activists has banded together to make a difference. Read the full article for Christian Science Monitor.
EXCLUSIVE: How a WFP food revamp has gone wrong for refugees in Uganda
A new World Food Program ‘prioritisation’ policy, providing aid based on assumed levels of need, has left 1.4 million refugees in Uganda struggling to survive. Meanwhile, aid workers say refugees were grouped based on outdated data, and available funding, rather than true need. Read the full article at The New Humanitarian.
Unease, uncertainty for displaced people in DR Congo ahead of Dec 20 vote
Conflict and uncertainty have dominated campaign discourse, and could stop displaced people from voting. Read the full article for Al Jazeera.
Cattle Raiders Give Up Guns in Ongoing Fight for Peace
In northern Uganda, where jobs are few and food is scarce, cattle raiders are now laying down their weapons to encourage peace. Read the full story for Al Jazeera.
Challah and Mashed Bananas: Ugandan Jews Celebrate Rosh Hashana
A century old community of black, African Jews has survived in rural Uganda, in part because of the celebrations they organise for holidays like Rosh Hashana. Read the full article for the Christian Science Monitor.
The M23 Conflict is Creating a Humanitarian Nightmare in Eastern Congo
After having dormant for nearly a decade, the M23 rebel group re-emerged early last year in eastern Congo, sparking a massive humanitarian emergency. Read the full article for World Politics Review.
Photo Credit: Associated Press/Moses Sawasawa
‘Timid’Aid Response Hurts Congolese Displaced by M23
Aid agencies say that insecurity and insufficient funds means that are failing people displaced by M23. Read the full article for The New Humanitarian.
Concern mounts in East Africa over halted Black Sea grain deal
Countries in a region rattled by climate change could experience acute food shortages due to Russia exiting the grain initiative, analysts warn. Meanwhile, activists and economists are calling for more support for local farmers. Read the full article for Al Jazeera.
Photo credit: Associated Press
Sexual violence plagues women displaced by Congo’s M23 conflict
Women fleeing the M23 conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and seeking safety in mushrooming displacement camps are at risk from rape and sexual assault. An underfunded humanitarian response has failed to keep them safe. Read the full article for The New Humanitarian.
‘So many dead bodies’: Militia school attacks haunts Uganda town
After an attack on a school in the border town of Mpondwe killed 47 people, residents are still reeling and their Muslim residents are afraid of reprisals. Read the full article for Al Jazeera.
Meet the women helping rape victims recover dignity in Congo’s conflicts
In Congo’s remote Masisi territory, local activists are helping victims of sexual violence recover from their injuries with respect and dignity. Read the full article for the Christian Science Monitor.
Photo credit: Sarah Fluck/Christian Science Monitor
‘We need Peace:’ M23 War Displaces Civilians Yet Again
For thousands of people in the eastern DR Congo, displacement in the latest onslaught by the M23 is another episode in their fight for survival. Read the full article for Al Jazeera.
In Uganda, Rolex is a Timeless Classic
Rolex is a popular Ugandan snack, but climate change and the war in Ukraine are driving up the cost of ingredients in this beloved street food, forcing vendor to raise prices or shrink the size of their product. Read the full article for The Christian Science Monitor.
Photo Credit: Badru Katumba/Christian Science Monitor
‘Born out of hatred’: New Uganda bill terrifies LGBTQ community
The proposed legislation imposes a life sentence for same-sex relations, and imposes the death penalty in some cases. Read the full article for Al Jazeera.
Photo Credit: Associated Press
Museveni Is Still Disappearing Uganda’s Opposition
Articles about enforced disappearances fill the pages of Ugandan newspapers these days. Most of the victims are young—and many are opposition supporters. Read the full article for World Politics Review.
Photo Credit: Associated Press
Fear and Oil in Uganda
.Its backers claim that the East African Crude Oil Pipeline will be a financial boon for Uganda, but families along its route claim that they have been inadequately compensated for their lost land, and activists opposing its construction have been harassed and arrested. Read the full article for The New York Review of Books, with reporting supported by the Pulitzer Center.
‘Life is even worse now’: Ration cuts and price rises hit refugees in Uganda
Uganda’s refugee response has been praised by the international community. But it's threatened by funding shortages, as humanitarians cut services and food rations in settlements, leaving some refugees considering returning to South Sudan. Read the full article for The New Humanitarian
In Uganda’s Karamoja Region, Climate Change Means Hunger and Violence
The remote region of Karamoja has long been subject to extreme and variable weather conditions. But now climate change is making things worse, throwing the livelihoods of farmers and pastoralists into question. Read the full article for World Politics Review.
An African Oil Pipeline Exposes the West’s Climate Hypocrisy
In March, environmentalists launched an unprecedented legal case charging French oil giant TotalEnergies with greenwashing. Despite marketing itself as a green company, TotalEnergies has invested heavily in the East African Crude Oil Pipeline, or EACOP, an infamous project in Uganda that’s come to symbolize Western hypocrisy. Read the full article for World Politics Review, with reporting supported by the Pulitzer Center.
Photo Credit: Associated Press
The Bold Campaign to Defund the East Africa Crude Oil Pipeline
In a bid to halt the controversial East Africa Crude Oil Pipeline, activists are targeting big banks. Read the full article at African Arguments, with reporting supported by the Pulitzer Center.
Photo Credit: Fridays for the Future
Repression in Museveni’s Uganda has Entered a Deadly New Phase
The story of Ugandan writer Kakwenza Rukirabashaija, who was detained and tortured by the government, raises burning questions about what future, if any, exists for political dissidents in the country. Read the full article for World Politics Review.
Photo Credit: Associated Press
Funding challenges and security threats are hampering the monitoring of one of the world’s most volatile volcanoes – the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Mount Nyiragongo. Read the full article for The New Humanitarian with reporting supported by the Pulitzer Center.
Uganda’s Illegal Gold Market is Bustling
Gold has overtaken coffee to become Uganda’s most important commodity in recent years. But much of the precious metal comes from neighboring countries, spirited across the border by shadowy smuggling networks. Read the full article for World Politics Review with reporting supported by the Pulitzer Center
Photo Credit; Associated Press
Slow Aid Response Frustrates Congolese made Homeless by Volcano
Nearly four months after a volcanic eruption hit the largest city in eastern DRC, 30,000 people remain in makeshift camps with little aid. Read the full story for The New Humanitarian with reporting supported by the Pulitzer Center
The Murky Politics Behind Uganda’s Agreement to Host Afghan Evacuees
Washington and Kampala both stand to benefit from an opaque deal to host Afghan evacuees in Uganda. How it came about and how much the Afghans, whom the bargain was supposedly intended to help, will gain seem open to question. Read the full article at World Politics Review.
Photo Credit: Associated Press
Tanzania’s New President Wrestles With Magufuli’s Legacy
Just how far Tanzania’s first female president will go in challenging Magufuli’s controversial legacy remains to be seen. Read the full article at World Politics Review.
Photo credit: Associated Press.
Uganda’s Museveni Unleashes a Reign of Terror
In the wake of Uganda’s disputed election, opposition leader Bobi Wine estimates that more than 600 of his supporters have disappeared from the streets. The few who do emerge bare grave signs of torture. Read the full article for World Politics Review.
Photo credit: Associated Press
The U.S. vs. Dan Gertler
The complex saga of notorious Israeli billionaire Dan Gertler shows just how difficult it is to win sure fire victories in the fight against corruption. Read the full article for World Politics Review.
Photo Credit: Associated Press
Biden Urged to Reinstate Sanctions on Israeli Mining Tycoon
Infamous tycoon Dan Gertler was sanctioned under the Global Magnitsky Act in 2017. But at the eleventh hour the Trump administration provided Gertler with a special license that has all but voided earlier restrictions. Read the full article for Middle East Eye.
Photo Credit: AFP
‘Unconscionable’: The race to stop Israel from selling weapons to Uganda
A twisted tale involving secretive weapons deals, a bloody election and an impending gag order unraveled thanks to social media, when an Jerusalem based human rights lawyer discovered evidence of shady arms sales between Israel and Uganda’s brutal Special Forces Command on Twitter. Read the full article for the Mail & Guardian.
Photo Credit: APF
Will the U.S. Still Back Uganda’s Museveni Despite Another Sham Election?
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni is a United States security ally in a troubled region of Africa, but Uganda’s latest election and the ongoing detention of opposition candidate Bobi Wine have lead to increased international condemnation of the long-ruling leader. Read the full story for World Politics Review.
Photo Credit: Associated Press
Voter suppression in Uganda threatens to disenfranchise thousands from January elections
Thousands of villagers in Apaa, northern Uganda, who have faced brutal government repression for the past decade, may be barred from voting in the country’s elections this week. Read the full article for the Fellowship of Reconciliation community at Waging Nonviolence.
Photo Credit: Getty Images
Explosive Mix
Big international players are moving in to exploit Mozambique’s vast natural gas resources – but to whose benefit? Read the full article for the New Internationalist.
Photo Credit: AFP/Getty
‘We Must Be Free or Die Trying.’ Bobi Wine’s Campaign Braves Violence in Uganda
Singer-turned-lawmaker Bobi Wine is running against Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni in January’s election, but faces an escalating campaign of repression. Read the full article at World Politics Review.
Photo Credit: Associated Press
As Case Against Total Drags in France, Situation in Uganda, Tanzania Worsens
Six environmental organizations from France and Uganda sued oil and gas giant Total for human rights abuses and environmental damage in connection with massive projects in Uganda and Tanzania last year. But while the case has dragged in court and the situation on the ground has deteriorated further. Read the full article for Earth Island Journal.
Photo courtesy of Earth Island Journal
Authoritarianism Wins Big in Tanzania Amid Bloodshed and Vote Rigging
Tanzania’s experience points to how a fully empowered autocrat can demolish a country’s constitutional system. Read the full article for the Indypendent.
Photo courtesy of the Indypendent
Havel Prize draws attention to the death of famed Rwandan gospel singer
A prestigious award for creative dissent amplifies calls for an independent investigation into the suspicious death of beloved singer Kizito Mihigo. Read the full article for the Campaign Nonviolence community at Waging Nonviolence.
Photo courtesy of Waging Nonviolence
Congolese Activists, Tired of Waiting, Demand Justice for Decades-Old War Crimes
In October 2010, the U.N. released a report documenting 617 instances of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and perhaps even genocide in Congo. Few of those abuses have been tried, and activists are stepping up their calls for justice. Read the full article for World Politics Review.
Photo Credit: Associated Press
Tanzania Opposition Fears Election Violence Because, Lissu says, ‘We are Winning’
Amid a campaign of harassment and intimidation against opposition candidates, leaders say they fear violence in Tanzania’s October general elections. Read the full article for World Politics Review.
Photo Credit: Associated Press
The ‘Hotel Rwanda’ Hero’s Arrest Shows the Fearsome Extent of Kagame’s Control
Paul Rusesabagina, best know for saving more than 1,200 Tutsis and moderate Hutus during the 1994 Rwandan Genocide, has been charged with 13 crimes including terrorism. Supporters say his arrest and impending trial show the dangers dissidents face in Rwanda and beyond its borders. Read the full article for World Politics Review.
Photo Credit: Associated Press
Tundu Lissu Was Shot 16 Times. Now, He’s fighting for Tanzania’s Presidency.
Veteran opposition leader Tundu Lissu last left Tanzania unconscious, having survived a brutal attempt on his life three years ago. Now, he’s returned to his homeland with plans to challenge President John Magufuli in the coming elections. Read the full article for World Politics Review.
Photo Credit: Associated Press
The Enduring Harm Inflicted by the Lord’s Resistance Army
The once-fearsome Lord’s Resistance Army has been reduced to a dwindling rump of fighters hiding out in jungle camps across vast swathes of territory in Central Africa. But a spate of recent attacks has once again demonstrated its capacity to inflict harm on long-suffering communities. Read the full article for The New Humanitarian.
Photo Credit: Philip Kleinfeld/TNH
Africa goes to war on COVID misinformation—with song
A new UNESCO initiative channels artists’ creativity to combat the flood of rumors around COVID-19. Take this seriously, the songs say – but also, remember we’re in this together. Read the full article for The Christian Science Monitor.
Photo Credit: The Christian Science Monitor
Coronavirus Complicates Fight against Desert Locust Invasion in East Africa
Shutdowns could impede treatment and monitoring efforts, experts say, fueling further concern about food security in the region. Read the full article for Earth Island Journal.
Photo Credit: The Food and Agriculture Organization
Born in a Slum, Bobi Wine Rose to Stardom. Now He’s taking on Uganda’s Dictator.
Bobi Wine is determined to unseat President Yoweri Museveni, who has ruled Uganda for more than three decades, in the 2021 elections. In November, I spent a day with the pop-star-turned-political-opposition leader. Read the the full article from The Indypendent.
Reporting listed among The Indypendent’s best stories of 2020.
Groundbreaking Lawsuit Targets Total’s Plans to Drill Oil in Uganda
A group of French and Ugandan NGO’s have banned together to sue Total, accusing the company of human rights abuses and environmental damage. Read the Full article for Earth Island Journal.
Photo Credit: Flikr
Uganda’s Escalating LGBT Crackdown Feels Eerily Familiar
120 people were arrested at a gay-friendly bar in Kampala. The raid was the latest in a series of anti-LGBT events in Uganda. Read the full article for World Politics Review.
Photo Credit: Associated Press
Refugees: Rwanda helps hundreds, but thousands more languish in Libya
International policy towards refugees tends to ignore root causes and often makes humanitarian crises worse. Read the full article for African Arguments.
Photo Credit: UN Women
Gays in Uganda Face a Fresh Wave of Violence as Official Threatens to Resurrect Homosexual Death Penalty Bill
In Uganda, where a legacy of British imperial rule and American evangelizing have combined to create a climate of rampant homophobia, attacks and discrimination against the LGBT community are routine. Read the full article for the Indypendent.
Reporting listed among the Indypendent’s best stories of 2019.
The Dangers of Deteriorating Relations Between Rwanda and Uganda
When a young Yoweri Museveni launched his rebellion to seize Uganda’s presidency in 1981, he found a vital ally in an exiled Rwandan soldier named Paul Kagame. The former guerrilla leaders have been presidents of their respective countries for years now, but their relationship has soured since those early days. Read the full article for World Politics Review.
Photo Credit: Associated Press
Uganda Expands Its Internet Clampdown, Stifling the Last Space for Free Speech
Ugandans are increasingly turning to the internet to discuss political and social issues. Now that space is being censored. Read the full article for World Politics Review.
Photo Credit: Associated Press
‘Stand with Us,’says the Popstar Running Against Uganda’s President
Opposition leader Bobi Wine has declared that he will challenge incumbent President Yoweri Museveni, who has clung to power for 33 years, in the 2021 election. Read the full article and an exclusive interview with Bobi Wine for World Politics Review.
Can a Long-Awaited Transitional Justice Policy Bring Accountability to Uganda?
Uganda’s government has approved a transitional justice policy, designed to support victims of violent conflict. But what impact it will have, if and when it is fully implemented, remains to be seen. Read the full article for World Politics Review.
A Curious Case of Poisoning in Uganda’s Poorest Region
The World Food Program has been accused of negligence after four died and hundreds fell ill after eating its food aid. Read the full article for African Arguments.
Ebola Inevitably Reaches Uganda: ‘Everybody was Waiting for the Outbreak to Arrive’
Uganda has made extensive preparations to curtail the spread of Ebola, but the virus remains a danger as long as the outbreak in Congo continues. Read the full article for World Politics Review.
Photo credit: Associated Press
Can a Court in Uganda Deliver Justice to Victims of the LRA?
Uganda is conducting its first war crimes trial, but the process has been beset by delays and funding gaps. Read the full article for World Politics Review.
‘Sudan Gives Us Confidence’: What’s Next for Uganda’s Opposition?
Uganda's government is clamping down heavily on opposition figure Bobi Wine, but he and his supporters remain undeterred. Read the full article for African Arguments.