Journal of African Studies

Somalia's liberation movements originated under local leaders and tribal sheikhs, particularly in British-controlled northern regions. Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah Hassan emerged as a pivotal figure, founding the Dervish movement in 1899. Initially peaceful, the movement adopted armed resistance against British and Italian colonizers in response to persecution, uniting Somalis under Islamic principles of jihad against oppression. Its 20-year anti-colonial struggle inspired liberation movements across Africa.
Somalia achieved nominal independence in 1960 through the unification of British and Italian territories, yet this remained incomplete with Djibouti under French control and Ogaden occupied by Ethiopia. Post-independence, liberation movements continued addressing colonial legacies: political instability, economic challenges, and fractured national unity. These movements maintained deep ties to Somali religious and cultural identity, employing both armed resistance and political awakening campaigns.
The study analyzed Somalia's liberation through two lenses: its strategic geographical position and the historical evolution of resistance movements. Findings confirmed that meaningful liberation required sustained resistance against colonial powers violating international norms, emphasizing how anti-colonial struggles were intertwined with Somalia's territorial significance in the Horn of Africa.

The international system is undergoing profound transformations as multipolarity gains momentum, challenging Western economic hegemony. BRICS' inclusion of Nigeria as a partner state exemplifies this shift, recognizing Africa's evolving role from resource provider to strategic actor in global economic governance. This study examines the implications through three analytical lenses: first, analyzing BRICS' strategic calculus in expanding African representation; second, evaluating potential economic benefits for Nigeria regarding investment flows and global value chain integration; third, assessing broader geopolitical consequences for great power competition in Africa. As Africa's largest economy by GDP and a major resource power, Nigeria offers BRICS significant partnership potential. However, structural constraints - including infrastructure deficits, governance challenges, and institutional weaknesses - may limit anticipated dividends. The accession represents Nigeria's strategic pivot toward diversified economic alliances amid declining confidence in traditional Western-led financial architectures.
The research highlights a critical juncture in international political economy, where emerging economies increasingly challenge established hierarchies. For African states, BRICS expansion presents both opportunities for developmental financing alternatives and risks of new dependency relations. The findings contribute to ongoing debates about post-Western global economic orders and the agency of Global South nations in shaping multilateral institutions.

This study examines the geopolitical transformations taking place in the region amid the decline of traditional French hegemony and the rise of Russian and Chinese influence. It explores the tools and strategies employed by Moscow and Beijing to expand their presence and assesses the political, economic, and security impacts of this dual engagement on the region’s future and stability.
The study highlights the growing Chinese role in infrastructure, investment, and trade, particularly within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, in contrast to Russia’s focus on military and diplomatic dimensions. It argues that West Africa has become a central point of geopolitical competition among major powers, presenting both challenges and opportunities for African states.
The study aims to explore pathways for enhancing the strategic autonomy of these countries and maximizing the benefits of international competition—while avoiding dependency traps or allowing the continent to become a battleground for rivalries that do not serve the national interests.

The study dealt with the conflict between the Hausa tribes and the Hamaj, the problem of the study is to present a forward-looking vision for the future of the conflict between the Hausa and the Hamaj in the Blue Nile region. In the advocacy of the Hamaj tribes with autonomy, the study aimed to highlight the role of the imperfect peace signed on 3/8/2022 AD in the renewal and aggravation of the conflict. The study interacted with the reality of the conflict between the Hausa and the Hamaj that began in July 2022 AD. And the comparative approach in order to compare the demands of the barbarians with the demands of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement, and the descriptive analytical approach in order to describe the development of the conflict between the two parties and analyze the events resulting from the interaction of the relationship between them, and the forward-looking approach to anticipating the future of the conflict. Patriotism and the dissemination of a culture of peace, the study came out with many results, the most important of which is that the Juba Peace Agreement gave autonomy to the region. All of this ruling calls for a worsening of the situation in the region in the event that the region's authorities do not agree with the central authorities, and the future indicates the separation of the Blue Nile region to be an independent entity.

This study examines crimes against humanity as grave violations of international law, employing a descriptive-analytical approach to explore their defining characteristics and legal foundations. Focusing on the framework established by the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, the research analyzes the procedural mechanisms for investigating and prosecuting such crimes, which include genocide, forced displacement, and systematic persecution.
The investigation reveals that crimes against humanity may occur in diverse contexts beyond traditional armed conflicts, highlighting the need for universal jurisdiction. The International Criminal Court emerges as a crucial institution for delivering justice, though challenges persist in ensuring consistent enforcement across national boundaries. The study emphasizes the importance of international cooperation at political, legal, and cultural levels to prevent impunity for perpetrators.
Findings suggest that while significant progress has been made in developing legal frameworks, practical obstacles remain in evidence collection, witness protection, and state cooperation. The research concludes by underscoring the necessity of strengthening preventive measures and enhancing global coordination to address these systemic crimes more effectively, particularly in cases targeting civilian populations outside conventional conflict zones.

civilizations included, as it was punished throughout the historical ages multiple civilizations in ancient Iraq (Sumerian, Akkadian, Babylonian and Assyrian) that contributed to enriching humanity with achievements in various aspects of economic, political and social life and the outcome of this achievement was the ambassadors and messengers (diplomatic work or diplomatic exchange) and its great importance Perhaps the diplomatic work and the people working in it (ambassadors and messengers) are the main tool that organizes the nature of social, political and economic relations between the countries of the ancient Near East, and due to the great and sensitive importance of ambassadors and messengers in that period, it affected positively or negatively the course of international relations, whether in the case of war or peace, it is necessary to choose people who manage the diplomatic work perfectly and well, and enjoy distinctive qualities that contribute to developing relations between (Iraq and Egypt) ancient as efficiency, civility, social status, tact, style, eloquence and many qualities that through drawing the nature of the relationship.

The natural disasters played an important and effectual role on the Moroccan and Andalusian society by the natural factors, like the price rises, droughts, earthquakes, rains, and storms; and the human ones, like wars, seditions, sieges, in addition to the taxes. In view of the close relationship between the human being and the nature's laws represented by the earth, chronicles have interested to record the natural disasters, the years of their occurrence and their destructive effects.
Ibn Abi-Zar'i recorded to us very important information and of scientific accuracy, through which he observed the disaster movements and their most prominent results, especially on the agricultural by an interesting and scientific method for the historians. His historical narratives were full of geographical information, and they provided us with a wide perspective on these natural phenomenon in Morocco and Andalusia and their effects.
This research aims to study and regulate the historical narratives through Al-Anīs Al-Motrib bi-Rawth Al-Kurtas, (2 vols.), and observe these phenomena, natural disasters and the factors leading to them, as they the most dangerous crisis which threatened the agricultural economy for these states, and they are related closely with their political, economic, healthy stability, causing price rises, famines and climate fluctuation which caused sever damage both on agriculture, crafts and urbanism. We will trace all these aspects through the historical narratives of this book; then we will classify them for the historical research purposes according to their importance and impact, especially on the agricultural- and this is what concerns us specifically.

The Republic of South Africa inherited a dual language status limited to English and Afrikaans from 1961 until the peaceful transfer of power in favor of the Africans in 1994. Since the language policy of the whites during the apartheid era revolved around imposing their European languages on the African and Asian communities in South Africa, the arrival of the blacks to power in 1994 represented the beginning of a major linguistic battle. Will they succeed in this battle? Or will success be limited and difficult to change in the near future?

The \"Lakwara\" group\'s emergence in northwestern Nigeria poses a critical security challenge to the Federal Republic. Exploiting porous borders, the group initially claimed to protect communities from banditry but has since become a major destabilizing force. Their activities—killings, destruction, and land grabs—have triggered mass displacement, cementing Nigeria’s rank among Africa’s top ten most dangerous nations on the Global Terrorism Index.
The group’s threat grew after Boko Haram’s decline in 2017, with criminal gangs filling the vacuum. Lakwara’s 2024 terrorist designation stems from attacks on civilians, military targets, and ties to ISIS in the Sahel. Operating along the Niger-Nigeria border (notably Sokoto, Zamfara, and Kebbi), they exploit weak governance and poverty.
Despite military campaigns since 2016, purely security approaches have failed. Lasting solutions require addressing root causes: poverty, unemployment, and judicial reforms. Community engagement is vital to gather intelligence and isolate extremists. A dual strategy—combining \"soft\" (development) and \"hard\" (military) tactics—is essential to stabilize the region and sever terrorist alliances.

Senghor belongs to the Senegalese Sarir (re r as) tribe. Senghor grew up in a wealthy Catholic family living in a country where the vast majority of his children are Muslims.
His father worked in trading in agricultural crops, especially Sudanese beans and rice - and peanuts are a major crop in Senegal - and his father had A distinguished position and position among his people. When Senghor reached the age of seven, in 1913, his father sent him to the Catholic mission in Gilur to learn there, and in 1923 he joined the Semnar liberman School in Dakar, where he studied Latin and Greek literature.

The book "The Settler State in Southern Rhodesia" offers a critical historical analysis of the apartheid system established by white settlers in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe)، focusing on the period between 1953 and 1979. Author Dr. Ali Jalil Jasim traces the roots of racist policies that denied the Black majority political and social rights، underpinned by colonial ideologies justifying European control under the guise of "civilization." The book highlights figures like Ian Smith، who reinforced apartheid and unilaterally declared independence to entrench white dominance. It also examines African resistance and constitutional shifts that led to a civil war، culminating in the 1979 constitution، which fell short of full equality. The conclusion underscores Africa’s continued exploitation as a resource market despite formal decolonization.

The period between 1919 and 1951 was a crucial phase in the development of the labor movement in Sierra Leone• The economic, political, and social conditions resulting from British colonial rule contributed to its evolution• This period witnessed key moments of labor organization and protest, met with varying reactions from the British authorities•