Hilary Matfess is an Assistant Professor at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies at the University of Denver and the author of “Women and the War on Boko Haram.” Her research is at the intersection of security, gender, and governance, with a focus on sub-Saharan Africa.
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The Ethiopian government declared a truce in June, but fighting has continued and the humanitarian crisis has worsened.
Reporting in Tigray suggests that different belligerents have engaged in different patterns of conflict-related sexual violence. Paying attention to these patterns is critical for understanding the dynamics of the conflict and holding perpetrators accountable.
The pandemic is the most immediate in a set of crises—some new, some ignored for too long—to which the international community cannot adequately respond.
Editor’s Note: Mozambique has a small terrorism problem, but the government’s response threatens to make it a big one. Hilary Matfess of Yale University and Alexander Noyes of RAND Corp. contend that Mozambique is overreacting to the danger with a heavy-handed crackdown that is inflaming tension while doing little to disrupt the most radical elements there. Indeed, they argue that Mozambique risks following the path of Nigeria, where a ham-fisted government response to a radical sect led to a surge in support for the group that became Boko Haram.
Editor’s Note: Ethiopia seemed on the path to reform, but a series of assassinations has rocked the country. Yale's Hilary Matfess warns that the violence may derail the positive changes being made under the leadership of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who is responding to the killings with a tough crackdown. The situation calls for the international community to focus more on Ethiopia and push for it to continue liberalizing reforms.
Daniel Byman
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Editor’s Note: For years, Ethiopia has appeared to be a relative success story, emerging from years of conflict and becoming a somewhat democratic, pro-Western ally in East Africa. Yet this success is in jeopardy. Yale's Hilary Matfess details the creeping authoritarianism in Ethiopia and its dangers for the country and the United States.
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