Baobab asks why piracy is falling off the coast of Somalia:
An alternative, more worrying, explanation may be that Somalia’s pirate gangs have temporarily closed up shop to do some stock-taking, during a period of particularly bad weather. In the week leading up to the release of the IMB report, three vessels were ransomed, including a UAE-flagged ship that had been held for two years. According to this theory, the pirates are clearing their stock of hostages and hijacked ships while they wait for the weather to change and the international community to tire of an expensive policing operation. In the meantime it still pays well.
Lesley Anne Warner looks at piracy numbers for Somalia and the Gulf of Guinea.
Amb. David Shinn flags a report on the US military base in Djibouti.
Roving Bandit flags a working paper on international remittances in Nigeria.
The Apps4Africa 2012 Business Challenge.
Tolu Ogunlesi on Chinua Achebe.
Sean Jacobs: “What would happen if you made a film about a key figure in Finnish history and cast Kenyan actors?”
Carmen McCain on “the first time a full translation of a soyayya novel has been published internationally.” Soyayya is Hausa for “love.”
What are you reading?
Sahel Blog 