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Author: Martin Plaut

Martin Plaut

Martin Plaut is a fellow at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies. He was previously Africa editor at the BBC World Service. His is the author of Understanding Eritrea, co-author of Who Rules South Africa? (with Paul Holden) and Understanding South Africa (with Carien du Plessis).

  • Tigray region, Ethiopia. Credit: Rod Waddington. war
    EritreaEthiopiaPoliticsTop story
    By Martin Plaut
    February 12, 2021
    402
    1

    Tigray: One hundred days of war

    Calls for the withdrawal of Eritrean troops, unimpeded humanitarian access, and investigations into war crimes are growing. It began as what the Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy ...
    Read More
  • eritrea Adigrat Street in Tigray, Ethiopia. Credit: Rod Waddington.
    EritreaEthiopiaPoliticsTop story
    By Martin Plaut
    January 8, 2021
    2061
    9

    Eritrea in the Tigray war: What we know and why it might backfire

    The war against the TPLF will not be quick or easy, and it already looks to be going badly for Eritrea’s president. There is little doubt ...
    Read More
  • A Vote ANC banner flies in the skies. Credit: Paul Saad.
    EconomyPoliticsSouth Africa
    By Martin Plaut
    November 15, 2019
    2329
    1

    Elite ANC politics has failed. South Africa needs a “politics of the people”

    India’s liberation experience shows us the importance of differentiating between elites and subordinates, rather than just looking at race. After a quarter century under the rule ...
    Read More
  • South Africa results: ANC supporters dance on Election Day in Khayelitsha. Credit: Martin Plaut.
    PoliticsSouth AfricaTop story
    By Martin Plaut
    May 10, 2019
    1416
    0

    South Africa election shakes major parties but little more

    The results from the 8 May general elections suggest the ruling ANC and main opposition DA retain widespread, if reluctant, support. Khayelitsha is the sort of ...
    Read More
  • Former mayor of Port Elizabeth Athol Trollip at a Democratic Alliance rally in East London. Credit: Martin Plaut.
    PoliticsSouth AfricaTop story
    By Martin Plaut
    May 7, 2019
    1162
    0

    “The main thing is a job”: The battle for South Africa’s swing city

    Control of most areas is unlikely to change following the elections, but Port Elizabeth has switched hands recently and could do again. This is the second ...
    Read More
  • Will opposition parties like he Democratic Alliance be able to pick up disenchanted rural voters in the South Africa elections? Credit: Martin Plaut.
    PoliticsSouth AfricaTop story
    By Martin Plaut
    May 6, 2019
    1930
    0

    “They were useless”: What about South Africa’s forgotten rural voters?

    Attention ahead of the 8 May elections has focused on major cities, but what are voters saying in overlooked rural areas where a third of voters ...
    Read More
  • Eritrea sanctions are being lifted, but Eritrea's government faces many more problems. Credit: Andrea Moroni.
    EritreaPoliticsTop story
    By Martin Plaut
    November 14, 2018
    3598
    0

    Why sanctions on Eritrea are being lifted and what it means

    There are three key reasons the UN is removing sanctions on Eritrea. The United Nations Security Council is about to lift an arms embargo and targeted ...
    Read More
  • Farming near the Ethiopia-Eritrea border. Credit: Andrea Moroni.
    EritreaEthiopiaPoliticsTop story
    By Martin Plaut
    June 18, 2018
    3930
    1

    Resolving the Ethiopia-Eritrea border: What actually needs to be done?

    Ethiopia has broken the stalemate, but several practical and political challenges remain. In response to Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s decision to accept the Algiers Agreement, signed ...
    Read More
  • Politics
    By Martin Plaut
    January 7, 2016
    1669
    0

    Can you encapsulate the last half-century of Africa’s history in a single book?

    Though it has some limitations, Keith Somerville’s new book Africa’s Long Road Since Independence suggests you can. It was one of the stranger meetings I ever ...
    Read More

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