https://www.scmp.com/rss/525100/feed The latest news and top stories on the Institute for Security Studies (ISS). A South African-based research institute, the ISS is dedicated to enhancing human security and fostering sustainable peace development and prosperity across Africa. Its main areas of focus include transnational crimes governance peacekeeping and conflict analysis. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Jevans Nyabiage Jevans Nyabiage For most people, ants are unwelcome guests at a picnic, but international demand for the insects is driving a new black market in East Africa, where it could threaten ant populations and the broader environment. In early March, 27-year-old Chinese national Zhang Kequn was detained at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi, Kenya, with more than 2,200 live queen ants packed in his luggage. Around the same time, Thai authorities seized a shipment of ants sent from the Kenyan port city of... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3348256/why-are-smugglers-swarming-east-africa-ants-send-china-and-europe?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3348256/why-are-smugglers-swarming-east-africa-ants-send-china-and-europe?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 29 Mar 2026 04:00:12 +0000 Jevans Nyabiage Jevans Nyabiage Whenever South African officials meet their Chinese counterparts to talk trade, the issue of the imbalance in China’s favour is almost certainly raised. But a discrepancy in the data from the two sides makes it hard to assess the trade gap. The latest Chinese customs data suggests that South Africa actually holds a surplus – exporting more to the world’s second-largest economy than it receives in return. According to the numbers from Beijing, China recorded US$30.58 billion in imports from South... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3345939/us17-billion-question-why-china-and-south-africa-are-so-far-apart-trade-data?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3345939/us17-billion-question-why-china-and-south-africa-are-so-far-apart-trade-data?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Mar 2026 04:00:08 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The Nigerian army said on Sunday it killed a top commander of Boko Haram and 10 members of the Islamic extremist group in a night raid in the northeastern part of the country. Abu Khalid, a commander of Boko Haram in the Sambisa Forest in Borno state, was a key figure within “the terrorist hierarchy, coordinating operations and logistics in the Sambisa axis,” army spokesman Sani Uba said in a statement. The soldiers attacked the Boko Haram militants on Saturday night in the Kodunga area of Borno... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3342019/nigerian-army-kills-top-boko-haram-commander-10-militants-night-raid?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3342019/nigerian-army-kills-top-boko-haram-commander-10-militants-night-raid?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 Feb 2026 15:21:24 +0000