Tom Gardner
@tomgardner18.bsky.social
Africa correspondent @TheEconomist
Author, "The Abiy Project: God, Power and War in the New Ethiopia”
Retweet ≠ endorsement / views my own
Still on X (for now) @tomgardner18
Author, "The Abiy Project: God, Power and War in the New Ethiopia”
Retweet ≠ endorsement / views my own
Still on X (for now) @tomgardner18
Pinned
Tom Gardner
@tomgardner18.bsky.social
· Apr 22
The Abiy Project: God, Power, and War in the New Ethiopia
Gardner’s account of the rise of Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed is essential reading for those interested in understanding how individual ambition and structural factors combine to mold a leader’...
www.foreignaffairs.com
Chuffed to see that the brilliant @kopalo.bsky.social
has reviewed my book, "The Abiy Project", in this latest issue of @foreignaffairs.com. He calls it "essential reading": www.foreignaffairs.com/reviews/abiy...
has reviewed my book, "The Abiy Project", in this latest issue of @foreignaffairs.com. He calls it "essential reading": www.foreignaffairs.com/reviews/abiy...
Reposted by Tom Gardner
Marco Rubio is reportedly saying Maduro will stand trial in US courts.
Which means it’s now the US administration’s position that US courts can hold foreign presidents, but not the US president, accountable for crimes.
Which means it’s now the US administration’s position that US courts can hold foreign presidents, but not the US president, accountable for crimes.
January 3, 2026 at 10:52 AM
Marco Rubio is reportedly saying Maduro will stand trial in US courts.
Which means it’s now the US administration’s position that US courts can hold foreign presidents, but not the US president, accountable for crimes.
Which means it’s now the US administration’s position that US courts can hold foreign presidents, but not the US president, accountable for crimes.
Today the city appears eerily silent. Seen from the sky, once bustling markets are empty and overgrown with vegetation. The streets are devoid of traffic, except for vehicles known to be used by the RSF. Water points, too, appear deserted:
www.economist.com/interactive/...
www.economist.com/interactive/...
Seen from above, el-Fasher is a ghost town
Satellite imagery reveals how North Darfur’s capital has been abandoned after its fall
www.economist.com
December 18, 2025 at 7:00 PM
Today the city appears eerily silent. Seen from the sky, once bustling markets are empty and overgrown with vegetation. The streets are devoid of traffic, except for vehicles known to be used by the RSF. Water points, too, appear deserted:
www.economist.com/interactive/...
www.economist.com/interactive/...
Reposted by Tom Gardner
So, El Fasher looks like one of the worst single event atrocities to happen this century so far, but the evidence has come in such a trickle it seems to only now be getting verified
At least 60,000 murdered in Sudanese city, which resembles ‘a slaughterhouse’
Satellite evidence shows extent of paramilitary massacre in El Fasher
www.irishtimes.com
December 13, 2025 at 3:50 AM
So, El Fasher looks like one of the worst single event atrocities to happen this century so far, but the evidence has come in such a trickle it seems to only now be getting verified
“They packed our children like cows into the bush,” says Chukwuelota Mmadubueze, whose son was 1 of 300 abducted from his school in north-west Nigeria last month.
My latest, on Nigeria's kidnapping epidemic (filling in for @oreogunb.bsky.social while she's away) 👇
www.economist.com/middle-east-...
My latest, on Nigeria's kidnapping epidemic (filling in for @oreogunb.bsky.social while she's away) 👇
www.economist.com/middle-east-...
Nigeria’s kidnapping crisis
Donald Trump’s ire has drawn attention to appalling security failures
www.economist.com
December 12, 2025 at 5:35 AM
“They packed our children like cows into the bush,” says Chukwuelota Mmadubueze, whose son was 1 of 300 abducted from his school in north-west Nigeria last month.
My latest, on Nigeria's kidnapping epidemic (filling in for @oreogunb.bsky.social while she's away) 👇
www.economist.com/middle-east-...
My latest, on Nigeria's kidnapping epidemic (filling in for @oreogunb.bsky.social while she's away) 👇
www.economist.com/middle-east-...
My piece in this week's issue looks at the rapid rise of Mormonism in Africa, where the small but influential American sect is building temples and impacting politics from Sierra Leone to Ghana to Kenya 👇
www.economist.com/middle-east-...
www.economist.com/middle-east-...
Mormonism’s surprising boom in Africa
The American sect has come a long way from being “the white people’s church”
www.economist.com
December 2, 2025 at 6:55 AM
My piece in this week's issue looks at the rapid rise of Mormonism in Africa, where the small but influential American sect is building temples and impacting politics from Sierra Leone to Ghana to Kenya 👇
www.economist.com/middle-east-...
www.economist.com/middle-east-...
I guest wrote this week's War Room, our defence newsetter, on the lessons for the Horn of Africa from Europe, 1914 👇
view.e.economist.com?qs=df4e468c9...
view.e.economist.com?qs=df4e468c9...
December 1, 2025 at 8:36 PM
I guest wrote this week's War Room, our defence newsetter, on the lessons for the Horn of Africa from Europe, 1914 👇
view.e.economist.com?qs=df4e468c9...
view.e.economist.com?qs=df4e468c9...
"A putsch favouring the government would be unusual. But unusual things happen in Guinea-Bissau."
My latest 👇
www.economist.com/middle-east-...
My latest 👇
www.economist.com/middle-east-...
Armed men take power in Guinea-Bissau, again
But not everyone is convinced the latest putsch is a real one
www.economist.com
November 27, 2025 at 2:19 PM
"A putsch favouring the government would be unusual. But unusual things happen in Guinea-Bissau."
My latest 👇
www.economist.com/middle-east-...
My latest 👇
www.economist.com/middle-east-...
Reposted by Tom Gardner
From Ukraine to Haiti to Congo, Erik Prince’s mercenary services are everywhere, and his worldview is more influential among America’s powerholders
Erik Prince, America’s most notorious mercenary, spies opportunity in chaos
The return of the Blackwater founder is a sign of the times
econ.st
November 22, 2025 at 8:30 AM
From Ukraine to Haiti to Congo, Erik Prince’s mercenary services are everywhere, and his worldview is more influential among America’s powerholders
"Contrary to some recent news headlines,JNIM, the Sahel’s pre-eminent jihadist group, is not about to follow in the footsteps of jihadists in Afghanistan and Syria and seize power in the capital."
My latest
www.economist.com/middle-east-...
My latest
www.economist.com/middle-east-...
A fuel blockade shows the frightening power of Mali’s jihadists
But fears of a terrorist takeover are overblown
www.economist.com
November 21, 2025 at 6:04 AM
"Contrary to some recent news headlines,JNIM, the Sahel’s pre-eminent jihadist group, is not about to follow in the footsteps of jihadists in Afghanistan and Syria and seize power in the capital."
My latest
www.economist.com/middle-east-...
My latest
www.economist.com/middle-east-...
Reposted by Tom Gardner
I am moving to Dubai because England is so dangerous. www.ft.com/content/9bf6...
November 19, 2025 at 2:03 PM
I am moving to Dubai because England is so dangerous. www.ft.com/content/9bf6...
Reposted by Tom Gardner
Three years ago one of the deadliest conflicts of the 21st century ended when Ethiopia’s government struck a peace deal with the Tigray People’s Liberation Front. Now it is unravelling
How to avoid Africa’s next war
Pressure from America and its allies can prevent a return to fighting
econ.st
November 16, 2025 at 6:40 AM
Three years ago one of the deadliest conflicts of the 21st century ended when Ethiopia’s government struck a peace deal with the Tigray People’s Liberation Front. Now it is unravelling
"But a covert proxy war between Ethiopia, Eritrea and their allies has, in effect, already begun. It needs worryingly little to explode into the open."
www.economist.com/middle-east-...
www.economist.com/middle-east-...
Ethiopia is perilously close to another war
Conflict in Tigray could balloon into a regional conflagration
www.economist.com
November 13, 2025 at 5:45 PM
"But a covert proxy war between Ethiopia, Eritrea and their allies has, in effect, already begun. It needs worryingly little to explode into the open."
www.economist.com/middle-east-...
www.economist.com/middle-east-...
One feature is the role of outside powers, including some Gulf states, which exert influence over their proxies. The best chance for de-escalation lies with America and these outside powers, who must push their allies to stop fighting and start talking again.
www.economist.com/leaders/2025...
www.economist.com/leaders/2025...
How to avoid Africa’s next war
Pressure from America and its allies can prevent a return to fighting
www.economist.com
November 13, 2025 at 5:44 PM
One feature is the role of outside powers, including some Gulf states, which exert influence over their proxies. The best chance for de-escalation lies with America and these outside powers, who must push their allies to stop fighting and start talking again.
www.economist.com/leaders/2025...
www.economist.com/leaders/2025...
A groundbreaking, eye-opening, and much needed investigation into Tigray's postwar goldrush: one of the most overlooked causes of the region's calamitous law and order breakdown—and its slide back to war.
www.theglobeandmail.com/world/articl...
www.theglobeandmail.com/world/articl...
When Tigray became a ‘wild west’ of illegal gold mining, Canadian firms staked a claim
A postwar gold rush in Ethiopia razed the landscape and sowed seeds for conflict. The Globe looks into Canadian-licensed sites at the heart of it, and their ties to Beijing
www.theglobeandmail.com
November 13, 2025 at 1:11 PM
A groundbreaking, eye-opening, and much needed investigation into Tigray's postwar goldrush: one of the most overlooked causes of the region's calamitous law and order breakdown—and its slide back to war.
www.theglobeandmail.com/world/articl...
www.theglobeandmail.com/world/articl...
a must-read on this topic
The ‘Wolqayt question’ from c. 2015 to the Tigray war: agrarian claims in Amhara nationalism
Latest articles in JEAS:
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Latest articles in JEAS:
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
The ‘Wolqayt question’ from c. 2015 to the Tigray war: agrarian claims in Amhara nationalism
The emergence of Amhara nationalism as a central political trend in Ethiopia can be dated to 2016. It soon gained considerable audience within the Amhara region and beyond. This article analyses a ...
www.tandfonline.com
November 7, 2025 at 7:49 AM
a must-read on this topic
Reposted by Tom Gardner
The ‘Wolqayt question’ from c. 2015 to the Tigray war: agrarian claims in Amhara nationalism
Latest articles in JEAS:
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Latest articles in JEAS:
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
The ‘Wolqayt question’ from c. 2015 to the Tigray war: agrarian claims in Amhara nationalism
The emergence of Amhara nationalism as a central political trend in Ethiopia can be dated to 2016. It soon gained considerable audience within the Amhara region and beyond. This article analyses a ...
www.tandfonline.com
November 7, 2025 at 7:41 AM
The ‘Wolqayt question’ from c. 2015 to the Tigray war: agrarian claims in Amhara nationalism
Latest articles in JEAS:
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Latest articles in JEAS:
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
The RSF has accepted the US proposal for a "humanitarian truce" since this went to press, but the fundamentals remain unchanged - both sides are reluctant to move seriously to talks, and outside pressure on them -- and their foreign backers -- remains insufficient.
www.economist.com/middle-east-...
www.economist.com/middle-east-...
Will anything—or anyone—stop the slaughter in Sudan?
As a killing spree unfolds in Darfur, an end to the civil war looks remote
www.economist.com
November 6, 2025 at 5:55 PM
The RSF has accepted the US proposal for a "humanitarian truce" since this went to press, but the fundamentals remain unchanged - both sides are reluctant to move seriously to talks, and outside pressure on them -- and their foreign backers -- remains insufficient.
www.economist.com/middle-east-...
www.economist.com/middle-east-...
Reposted by Tom Gardner
“At the heart of the conversation about deforestation is a very simple problem,” writes Jack Hurd in a guest essay. “Trees have always been economically more valuable felled than standing”
If only the market value of an intact forest were more obvious, writes Jack Hurd
A COP in a rainforest could be the biome’s best hope
econ.st
November 6, 2025 at 3:20 PM
“At the heart of the conversation about deforestation is a very simple problem,” writes Jack Hurd in a guest essay. “Trees have always been economically more valuable felled than standing”
Last month, in Cape Town, I interviewed Erik Prince, founder of Blackwater and America's most controversial mercenary, for The Weekend Intelligence, our weekend longform podcast.
Prince's return to the limelight is a bet on the direction the world is heading.
www.economist.com/podcasts/202...
Prince's return to the limelight is a bet on the direction the world is heading.
www.economist.com/podcasts/202...
The return of Erik Prince
The comeback of America’s most infamous mercenary
www.economist.com
November 1, 2025 at 12:00 PM
Last month, in Cape Town, I interviewed Erik Prince, founder of Blackwater and America's most controversial mercenary, for The Weekend Intelligence, our weekend longform podcast.
Prince's return to the limelight is a bet on the direction the world is heading.
www.economist.com/podcasts/202...
Prince's return to the limelight is a bet on the direction the world is heading.
www.economist.com/podcasts/202...
Trump and Abiy Ahmed would get along swimmingly
Leavitt: "At this moment in time, of course, the ballroom is really the president's main priority."
October 23, 2025 at 6:17 PM
Trump and Abiy Ahmed would get along swimmingly
And in this piece I look at two elections coming up in the next week: Tanzania and Ivory Coast. They are the emerging stars of their respective regions, but share a vulnerability: a drive to eliminate political competition, which may prove self-defeating.
www.economist.com/middle-east-...
www.economist.com/middle-east-...
Two flawed elections show the dangers of one-party rule
Rulers in Tanzania and Ivory Coast may be overestimating their countries’ stability
www.economist.com
October 23, 2025 at 2:42 PM
And in this piece I look at two elections coming up in the next week: Tanzania and Ivory Coast. They are the emerging stars of their respective regions, but share a vulnerability: a drive to eliminate political competition, which may prove self-defeating.
www.economist.com/middle-east-...
www.economist.com/middle-east-...
Reposted by Tom Gardner
Last month I took a trip to the Amazon rainforest to better understand the economics behind deforestation and how to preserve the world’s largest forest.
economist.com/the-americas...
economist.com/the-americas...
The obvious economics of preserving the Amazon
It provides Brazil’s world-beating farmers with water, and keeps carbon locked up for the rest of us
economist.com
October 23, 2025 at 2:04 PM
Last month I took a trip to the Amazon rainforest to better understand the economics behind deforestation and how to preserve the world’s largest forest.
economist.com/the-americas...
economist.com/the-americas...
Africa is a biodiversity superpower, but gets paid a pittance for it. In this week's issue I explore the new conservation schemes trying to put a price on Africa's biodiversity wealth - including one Kenya and another in the Congo.
www.economist.com/middle-east-...
www.economist.com/middle-east-...
How to preserve Africa’s natural riches for everyone
Conservationists want to make the world pay to look after its rainforests and wildlife
www.economist.com
October 23, 2025 at 2:31 PM
Africa is a biodiversity superpower, but gets paid a pittance for it. In this week's issue I explore the new conservation schemes trying to put a price on Africa's biodiversity wealth - including one Kenya and another in the Congo.
www.economist.com/middle-east-...
www.economist.com/middle-east-...
Reposted by Tom Gardner
Apropos of nothing, I really do think UK journalists and politicians need some reminding that mass deportation of LEGAL immigrants, particularly those with permanent status, is far more extreme than even Trump's America and would basically place Britain completely on its own among democracies.
October 19, 2025 at 11:32 AM
Apropos of nothing, I really do think UK journalists and politicians need some reminding that mass deportation of LEGAL immigrants, particularly those with permanent status, is far more extreme than even Trump's America and would basically place Britain completely on its own among democracies.