Page 6 - Security Studie News Today

The surge of hope inspired by the remarkable breakthrough in Libya’s year-old peace process is starting to fade as negotiations to enable viable elections on 24 December bog down. Analysts now think that Libyans and the international community became too optimistic – and complacent – after significant milestones were reached. These include the October 2020 ceasefire, a transitional political framework agreement, and the March handover of power from the western government in Tri...

Sudan Faces Another Failed Transition, ISS Researcher Says Sudan Faces Another Failed Transition, ISS Researcher Says Institute for Security Studies’ (ISS) Researcher on Africa Peace and Security Governance, Shewit Woldemichael, says Sudan will be facing another failed transition without unity of purpose. Thursday, June 3 marked the second anniversary of the massacre of protesters in front of Sudan’s army headquarters. They paid the ultimate price for what they hoped will be a political tra...

As South Africa talks about the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the use of artificial intelligence (AI) is going to become more and more prevalent. While AI can be a powerful tool in moderating online social interactions, there is a plethora of concerns regarding issues of accountability, transparency and privacy in AI content moderation.  As Dr Mari-Sanna Paukkeri, CEO and co-founder of the Finnish tech firm, Utopia Analytics, and Avani Singh, a South African data-rights activist and lawyer, po...

Impoverished residents used city-wide protest action to force the ANC-led provincial government to make good on promises of jobs, housing and basic services.

Using artificial intelligence (AI) to distort audio and video, convincing deepfakes can be made by pretty much anyone with the right hardware and software and a few hours to kill. The results can wreak havoc on individual livelihoods and reputations, but more frighteningly, can be used to manipulate en masse. While this may sound like the finishing touches on a looming dystopia, there’s hope for us all yet.  Around 500 hours of video content are uploaded to the social sharing site YouTube ev...

When violence is policy: How do we curb police brutality? 25 Apr 2021 Strong-arm tactics: South African Police Service officers enforce social distancing on 28 March during last year’s hard lockdown as shoppers queue outside a supermarket in Hillbrow, Johannesburg. Photo: Marco Longari/AFP It was one of the most horrific collective experiences we witnessed in post-apartheid South Africa. It wasn’t immediately apparent to those watching from home what had happened as Andries Tatane clutched ...

President Cyril Ramaphosa has conveyed condolences after the death of Chad President Idriss Déby Itno. Déby, who has been in power three decades, died in military violence a day after provisional election results showed that he has been elected for a sixth term. The African Union has also issued a statement hailing the late president as an ardent supporter of efforts to create an environment of security and stability. President Cyril Ramaphosa described the death of Chad President Idriss D�...

Pak-Afghan speakers for letting past behind for better, shared future By Hamid Khan Wazir KABUL, Afghanistan: Mohammad Farhad Azeemi, Governor of Afghanistan’s northern Balkh Province, said that durable peace can open many doors to trade and economic development but it should not be the primary condition. “Our northern neighbours are pursuing peace in Afghanistan via economic activity. They have told us we will not wait for peace to return but instead will incentivize it through economic pr...

To be effective, the African Union (AU) needs to become more accessible, responsive and relevant to the average African citizen. This means we need more information about and involvement in the AU’s decision-making processes. The AU summit on 6 and 7 February is an opportunity to remind Africa’s leaders of that. Member states gathered at the summit will no doubt reflect on their responses to the Covid-19 pandemic and the African Continental Free Trade Area which was launched on 1 January th...