She was “the most beautiful girl in the world,” “shy and smiley,” and “a fierce commander,” according to various accounts. It feels difficult reconciling these statements with all other descriptions of ‘Aimee, the Congolese,’ the small-bodied young girl with a radiant smile and a sense of humor incongruous with the harsh environment she was forced... Continue Reading →

The withdrawal of US and Ugandan forces pursuing rebel leader Joseph Kony in Central Africa raised the question of how the Lord’s Resistance Army leader has eluded capture for three decades. Based on almost a decade of experience researching the LRA here is a seven-part answer. 1) Resilience Kony is without doubt one of the... Continue Reading →

Here is the cover jacket for the South African edition of When the Walking Defeats You to be published by HSRC Press under their Best Read imprint, in late August, 2017. To be distributed in South Africa only. Still figuring out how to provide more copies to East and Central Africa.

Here is my Q&A (and book review) with Professor Laura Seay in Washington Post's Monkey Cage. I am grateful to Professor Seay for reading and reviewing the book as well as her thoughtful questions and comments. She later tweeted about the difficult choices those in violent movements face, and our own moral dilemmas when confronted... Continue Reading →

A report on wildlife poaching and trafficking in Congo, South Sudan and Uganda, I researched and wrote months ago is finally out! I travelled to Congo's Garamba Park, South Sudan's Juba and various places in Uganda (as well as some interviews in Nairobi) to find out how elephants, rhinos and pangolins are poached and illegally... Continue Reading →

I was in Kampala when American military planners came to talk about how to deal with the LRA and Kony. There was a belief that the military mission the US army was about to embark on in Central Africa was going to be quick and relatively painless - the term 'low hanging fruit' might have... Continue Reading →

I co-wrote an article with Kristof Titeca for Foreign Affairs about the US military mission against the LRA and what the US and Ugandan withdrawal means for the region. We concluded: "The success of campaigns against groups like the LRA depends on the commitment of national governments and international organizations. U.S. leadership is a crucial... Continue Reading →

  Happy to announce that When the Walking Defeats You was included in the list of Washington Post's The Monkey Cage Summer Reading List.. Full review to appear on 21 July.