Murithi Mutiga
@mutigam
Followers
10,470
Following
8,180
Media
39
Statuses
5,716
Africa Program Director, International Crisis Group
Nairobi, Kenya
Joined September 2009
Don't wanna be here?
Send us removal request.
Explore trending content on Musk Viewer
Puerto Rico
• 697442 Tweets
LINGORM PANTENE FASHION SET
• 361364 Tweets
Manchester United
• 211167 Tweets
#CDTVライブライブ
• 183237 Tweets
Tyler
• 123443 Tweets
Ruud
• 87903 Tweets
LINGLING THAI TOUR EP1
• 76166 Tweets
Rodri
• 70505 Tweets
Ten Hag
• 56679 Tweets
#Fes蓮ノ空ラブライブ地区予選
• 53085 Tweets
Fifth Veda Of God Kabir
• 40828 Tweets
Xavi
• 39446 Tweets
पप्पू यादव
• 31679 Tweets
INEOS
• 25184 Tweets
frank ocean
• 24719 Tweets
Now or Never
• 20135 Tweets
#モンスター
• 16787 Tweets
라이온즈
• 14389 Tweets
新シナリオ
• 14339 Tweets
기아 우승
• 13913 Tweets
新時代の扉
• 12231 Tweets
Southgate
• 11801 Tweets
Nagelsmann
• 11639 Tweets
メカウマ娘
• 11090 Tweets
スカリーくん
• 10331 Tweets
リズミック
• 10318 Tweets
Ruto wins. The capacity of Kenyan institutions has outpaced the political culture. A shame that his opponent and backers within the state could not concede.
17
257
1K
Kenyan politics will never be the same again. The youth-led protest movement that has swept the country has in the space of just two weeks also swept away assumptions that lasted 60 years. A thread 1/
10
361
872
Presidential candidate Waihiga Mwaure concedes defeat and, significantly, indicates his reading of the numbers suggests a victory for Deputy President William Ruto.
10
117
600
You have to admire the creativity of Nairobi's Somali restaurants. Cup of 'corona tea' (turmeric, ginger, mint and lime) at Jumbo, Hurlingham
13
92
531
Delighted — and daunted — to be filling
@EroComfort
’s big shoes as
@CrisisGroup
Africa program head.
Very pleased to announce
@CrisisGroup
@mutigam
will succeed me as Africa Program Director & will work with
@PaulineBax1
@RinaldoD1
to take our work to even greater heights. Thanks to Africa Program colleagues for our wonderful years; looking forward to championing your good work.
21
42
178
128
45
489
Come and work with us:
@CrisisGroup
is hiring a Senior AU Adviser (to lead our coverage of the African Union) and a Senior Communications Officer. We are especially keen to attract candidates from the continent. Do spread the word! Links below 1/
31
260
323
President William Ruto signals he’s asked his predecessor Kenyatta to serve as his representative in peace talks on the conflicts in Ethiopia and the DRC. Will come as a big relief to diplomats who worried Nairobi would back out of the two initiatives.
22
134
317
Interesting that Kenyatta and Odinga, both of whom claim to have won the presidency, pointedly avoided the word President in their presser and instead referred to each other as 'Ndugu,' Kiswahili for brother.
12
182
255
Considering the scale of the war in Northern Ethiopia, really pathetic that the AU is taking such a casual approach and basically never consulted anyone on talks to find a way out of conflict.
Former Kenya's leader UHURU KENYATTA letter to the
@_AfricanUnion
commission chairperson
@AUC_MoussaFaki
on his skipping of peace talks in
#SouthAfrica
. He had been named by the AU a facilitator alongside Nigeria's Olusegun Obasanjo
54
282
260
22
343
238
Usually when there’s a coup, most people stay home. The fact thousands of Sudanese protesters have taken to the streets instead should signal to the generals that they’re taking a dangerous, reckless gamble as we highlight in latest
@CrisisGroup
statement
5
105
223
‘In the fullness of time I entertain no doubt that this nation will come to regard (electoral commission chair) Wafula Chebukati as one of Kenya’s outstanding heroes.’ Githu Muigai
5
60
219
The biggest winner of the Kenyan election is the Kenyan people. From a time when elections were a life and death affair, now they are routine. And the pressure from below has forced both institutions and politicians to perform better.
7
56
193
The US president basically urging Egypt to 'blow up' the dam Ethiopia is building along the Nile. Hopefully, this nightmare will be over soon
39
45
187
One of Africa’s largest elections unfolds Wednesday with 44 million Congolese registered to vote. With logistical problems mounting, however, many fear that vast numbers may not be able to cast their ballots. Some insights drawing on colleagues in Goma and in Kinshasa. 1/11
2
106
187
Delighted to announce that
@alanboswell
, host of The Horn Podcast and formerly S Sudan Senior Analyst will take over as
@CrisisGroup
's Horn of Africa Project Director and
@Meron_El
is our new East and Southern Africa Analyst.
28
19
185
After initially showing restraint, Kenya govt reacts to opposition swearing in by declaring Odinga opposition movement an "organised criminal group," a needless move that will dial up tensions
#NASAOathDay
15
93
151
There is a lot of bad news coming out of West Africa these days but this new
@CrisisGroup
paper by my colleague
@PaulineBax1
is a refreshing exception, examining Cote d’Ivoire’s success in stopping jihadist expansion. A thread 1/
6
75
125
Tensions between the DRC and Rwanda have reached their highest level for years with Kinshasa barring Rwandair flights and Rwanda threatening to intervene directly in Eastern DRC. 1/5
2
51
125
Their ringing message to Ruto and his administration is that govts have to earn legitimacy across the length of their term, not just in election season 7/
2
35
120
One key assumption was that politics would always be organised "vertically", with an ethnic kingpin at the top and their co-ethnics behind them 2/
1
28
120
This logic goes back nearly a century, when British colonialists decreed that political parties could only be formed along ethnic lines, part of the divide-and-rule game 3/
2
29
110
Somalia is in the middle of its worst political crisis for years.
@CrisisGroup
's latest statement explores ways to restart dialogue to avert a spiral into violence
14
55
105
Ironically, one of the most eloquent assertions of this was by the young Yoweri Museveni. In Sowing the Mustard Seed he argued if the public mobilised along non-parochial lines such as teachers, farmers etc, rulers would have to be more accountable 5/
1
31
108
In this Q&A, my
@CrisisGroup
colleague
@Meron_El
makes the case that all sides need to exercise wisdom to harness this opportunity for root and branch reform in Kenya
3
42
110
Ethiopia's delicate transition, who will come out on top in Somalia's high-stakes election, Addis-Khartoum tensions and why we still regard Sudan as a bright spot in the region. Listen in to our predictions for 2021 with
@alanboswell
6
49
100
The numbers are staggering. Kenya now spends about half of its revenue on debt servicing, squeezing out other obligations. Credit especially to economist
@DavidNdii
who warned that a crash was coming -- and was unfortunately ignored
🎧What issues in the Horn of Africa region are important to highlight in the year ahead?
“Within the next decade, one or two govts within the continent might collapse simply because they have amassed so much debt”,
@mutigam
explains to
@alanboswell
⇊
2
17
26
7
38
99
A second assumption was that the young don't care. They are busy on social media engaged in trivial pursuits. Well, they have shown they care but can also force through change 8/
1
27
99
One can only imagine what it must be like being a civilian in Mekelle, caught between two parties trying to resolve a political dispute using artillery and bombs.
@CrisisGroup
urges Addis Ababa to halt its offensive to allow civilians to leave the city
A humanitarian catastrophe could unfold in Mekelle, capital of
#Ethiopia
’s Tigray region. Entering a heavily populated city would exact an enormous, intolerable toll on civilians & badly damage Ethiopia’s international repute.
Our statement👇
27
79
119
19
37
93
Kenya could be on the cusp of such politics thanks to the broad youth protest movement that has challenged all these old assumptions 6/
1
23
93
New
@crisisgroup
statement calls for a last-minute deal to avert a bloody clash in Nairobi, urges Kenyatta to accept audit of election system and asks Odinga to cancel event and champion structural reforms
27
113
89
Many have argued that the only way to hold political elites accountable was to move to more "horizontal" politics that meant elites couldn't easily divide voters and act with impunity 4/
1
24
86
Strong African Union statement on the rising tensions between Rwanda and the DRC. Rebels Kinshasa claims Rwanda backs have recently made dramatic gains in Eastern DRC. A thread 1/10
14
55
77
Yet this is also a delicate moment with outside forces increasingly infiltrating the protests and introducing a level of violence that has caused public anxiety 9/
2
20
80
Kenya must be the only country on earth where relations between the president and deputy president are so frosty that when they meet, it's treated as breaking news
PRESIDENT KENYATTA visits and holds talks with his deputy William Ruto at Harambee House Annex amid heightened war of words over corruption fight.
121
171
388
15
20
79
My early take: ‘The conflict will cause reputational damage to Russia. Many on the African continent cheered Moscow’s vocal opposition to American-led wars in Iraq and Libya and now Russia will come across as the aggressor in a war of choice against a less powerful neighbor.’
African citizens remained stranded across Ukraine on Friday, even as their governments called for a cease-fire and urged Russia to respect the territorial integrity of Ukraine. "We are really terrified," a Somali student on a bus from Kyiv to Lviv told me.
11
165
344
4
31
73
Parallel vote tabulation by 8,000
@elogkenya
observers finds Kenyatta polled 54pc vs Odinga's 44 pc, mirroring
@IEBCKenya
tallies
9
117
69
Remarkable development as Kenya's President Ruto fires all his cabinet ministers following a recent wave of protests. For backround, see this
@CrisisGroup
explainer
0
45
68
Extraordinary development. Sudan's military council ruler, Lt Gen Ibn Auf, forced to step down amid escalating wave of protests. Another General, Abdel-Fatah al-Burhan, to take his place (1)
2
57
66
Battle over Kenyan election set to go back to Supreme Court as activist
@OkiyaOmtatah
files case seeking to nullify "sham" vote held Oct 26
8
67
60
More than 10 years ago,
@RAbdiAnalyst
, one of the leading experts on the regional jihadist scene, warned that a military-only strategy against Al Shabaab would fail. He was right. Worth catching his thoughts on what the future holds with
@alanboswell
here:
🎧 In a new episode of The Horn’s mini-series exploring jihadism along the Swahili coast,
@alanboswell
and
@RAbdiAnalyst
discuss the connections and competition among jihadist groups in the region and much more.
Tune in 👉
5
30
57
4
25
62
Expansive new
@CrisisGroup
report examines the success of Sudan's protest movement, which captured the imagination across the region with a brave, determined campaign against one of the region's most entrenched rulers 1/1
2
50
62
Bashir is behind bars, a new PM is set to take office and a teacher that drives a taxi at night is the face of the opposition. Exciting times in Sudan
@CrisisGroup
's latest statement outlines the dangers ahead and examines ways to keep the generals at bay
2
39
60
Short thread on recent
@CrisisGroup
podcasts on Sudan's devastating war. Here, a moving account by
@ReemWrites
on the grave toll the war is taking on civilians as well as its unimaginable cultural and economic cost. 1/
1
41
61
In this
@CrisisGroup
podcast I tell
@alanboswell
that despite the typically drawn out conclusion, Kenya’s closely fought election will help consolidate its democracy and holds lessons for the region
0
32
58
Amid a surge in crime, banditry and jihadist violence, more W African countries are turning to vigilantes to offer local security. This new big
@CrisisGroup
explores this complex phenomenon in Nigeria
@NnamdiObasi
0
34
58
Which way forward for Ethiopia and the region? I speak to
@EroComfort
and
@atwoodr
on the complex challenges the Horn's most important country faces amid the grinding war in Tigray
4
30
58
With Niger’s generals digging in and threatening to charge the ousted president with treason, worth reading this quick
@CrisisGroup
explainer on the factors that prompted the coup - and what might come next
1
29
54
An incredibly important moment for democracy in Africa. My interview on Kenya court decision with
@PaulSchemm
1
69
53
The
#Ethiopian
capital Addis Ababa is preparing to host African heads of state for their 36th summit. Ahead of the event,
@CrisisGroup
just published its annual eight priorities for the
@_AfricanUnion
1/
3
18
55
The Nile, Africa's longest river, is the subject of a bitter dispute between Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan.
@CrisisGroup
's new report explores options to defuse tensions as Ethiopia races to complete a giant dam across the Blue Nile
0
50
49
Law Society says election was transparent but urges
@IEBCKenya
to complete process honestly, calls on security forces to exercise restraint
4
71
52
Our piece on the recent wave of coups on the continent — and ways to stem the tide.
Seven African leaders were toppled by their militaries in the last three years.
In this
@ForeignAffairs
essay with
@mutigam
, we outline the deeper context in which these coups are emerging and why they have stirred so much anxiety.
Thread 1/11
.
3
152
286
2
23
53
My reflections on the path to war in Sudan, the plight of civilians caught in the middle of a vicious power struggle between rival forces and options to end the brutal fighting
via
@crisisgroup
0
33
51
'They couldn't agree who the dominant partner was': Wise deep dive by
@MikeWoldemariam
into the bitter rivalry between the Eritrean and Tigray elite that has marked multiple bloody conflicts in this corner of the Horn of Africa
@alanboswell
0
28
50
I see you've changed your headline online but you should consider pulling down the story. We all benefit from good journalism but stories like these undermine faith in the media and also fundamentally erode your credibility. 6/6
4
15
50
We are hiring a Senior Communications Officer to work with our
@CrisisGroup
analysts across the continent
0
37
47
Despite 20 years of the "war on terror" there are more jihadis in Africa today than ever before. What went wrong? Great to join
@mary_harper
and
@MikeWoldemariam
in last episode of
@alanboswell
's mini series
0
20
48
Went for a run in Nairobi's Arboretum forest in solidarity with my friend Michael Kovrig, unjustly detained in China 2 years ago today. He told me he loved the time he spent in East Africa. Hope he'll be free to travel the world again soon
#FreeMichaelKovrig
2
7
48
President Kenyatta should be impeached for defying court orders and trying to "overthrow the constitution" former Chief Justice
@WMutunga
tells
@alanboswell
in this no-holds barred interview (A thread with some background) 1
2
32
45
The Ruto/Biden, Kenya/US bromance. What do they want from each other? My analysis in this week’s
@CrisisGroup
podcast 1/
2
29
46
Next week, African leaders will meet in Addis Ababa for the annual
@_AfricanUnion
summit
#AUSummit
.
With millions on the continent enduring armed conflict, we
@CrisisGroup
highlight eight priorities for the
#AU
to improve matters.
🧵: 1/8
1
35
43
Somaliland remains a rare good news story in the Horn. Here's a summary of the many highs -- and some lows -- from recent parliamentary elections
New
@crisisgroup
briefing examines
#Somaliland
’s parliamentary & local elections, following conclusion with the selection of the lower house speaker last week.
A surprising win for opposition & quick acceptance by the government highlights successful nature of the process.
1
10
24
4
20
41
Excellent choice. Mahama showed in 2017 that an incumbent can lose an election and accept defeat with grace, something that happens all too rarely on the continent
EXCLUSIVE: The
@_AfricanUnion
is to appoint former Ghana president John Mahama as a special envoy to
#Somalia
according to 2 people familiar with the appointment. The envoy is to lead mediation efforts to end the electoral crisis and pave the way for elections immediately.
1
16
45
1
14
41
For much of the world, 9/11 lies in the past. For Africa, the legacy of the "war on terror" looms large from the Sahel to the Lake Chad Basin and the Horn. In this new commentary,
@EroComfort
and I explore options to escape 9/11's long shadow
1
20
41
If only politicians displayed similar levels of civic duty. Kenyan voters lined up as early as 2am to cast their ballots
#KenyaDecides
2
24
40
Oil money holds S Sudan’s elites together. Those funds have suddenly dried up due to the war in Sudan, with potentially dire consequences for stability in the south. New
@CrisisGroup
statement here.
Here,
@CrisisGroup
warns that
#SouthSudan
is staring over the edge as the
#Sudan
war blocks most of its oil exports. Hyperinflation, famine, and political unrest could follow in a country already wracked with violence and hunger.
1
42
57
2
40
38
Look forward to assessing a possible UN role in helping end the devastating war in northern Ethiopia
ONLINE EVENT | As the
#UNGA
is wrapping up, what are the main challenges for the U.S. and UN in the year ahead, notably in Ethiopia and Afghanistan?
Listen to
@GerardAraud
,
@LaurelMillerICG
,
@mutigam
&
@RichardGowan1
this Wednesday, Sept 29!
Register:
1
12
19
3
15
36
How did Sudan descend into an all-out war between two armies fighting in major urban centres with millions of civilians in the crossfire?
@CrisisGroup
's
@alanboswell
and
@wmshewit
discuss the background and options to end the fighting with
@atwoodr
2
30
38
Odinga criticises international observers, says they prize stability over democracy
#SupremeCourtDecides
8
52
40
Obama to Kenyans ahead of election: I urge you to work for a future defined by unity and hope, not fear and division
0
48
38
Remarkably draconian step as Kenya govt indefinitely bans news broadcasts on three private TV stations. Harshest measure since the authoritarian Moi administration, which many Kenyans under 20 don't remember. Issue will end up in courts and offer a test of judicial independence
INTERIOR CS Fred Matiang’i says all TV stations closed yesterday will remain shut until investigations on certain individuals are completed.
61
94
142
3
58
38
Sudan’s generals have to take big decisions today. Hopefully, they realize that deploying violence will unleash forces that will consume and ultimately doom them.
0
17
38
Thanks Rashid. Our friend
@EUSR_Rondos
was the originator!
I cannot resist stealing
@mutigam
's (one of the smartest minds on conflict trends in the Horn) 'the battle over 3 Ds' that will drive conflict in the Horn for the next decades - Democracy, Demography and Decentralisation.
7
20
97
1
3
37
Good piece with this key line: ‘In many multilateral settings today, non-Western states often opt to negotiate as a team…This coordination enhances the affinity among countries frustrated with an international order that too often works against their interests.’
New
@ForeignAffairs
piece from
@EroComfort
challenging a lot of what you think you know about the "Global South".
1
39
106
1
22
36
Odinga says it's a historic day for Kenya after he stages swearing in as 'president of the republic of Kenya' before thousands of supporters.
2
13
35
In the last few days, Rwanda fired missiles at a DRC warplane, bringing tensions in the Great Lakes to the highest level since the 2000s. In this Q&A,
@CrisisGroup
outlines steps toward de-escalation 1/
1
20
35
"Following foreign military intervention in Mozambique, many of these Kenyan and Tanzanian fighters are retreating home." Explainer here on dynamics behind recent attacks in Uganda and why the alert level is so high now in the rest of the region.
@Crisisgroup
take on attacks claimed by
#IslamicState
in
#Kampala
based on some recent research myself and team members have done in
#Uganda
#Rwanda
#Kenya
#Somalia
and
#Mozambique
. .
2
58
63
49
16
36
#Sudan
's El-Fasher and
#Gaza
's Rafah: In both, starvation has been used as a weapon of war. In both, civilians wait in fear as men in arms prepare to invade. This special
@CrisisGroup
podcast assesses the entirely avoidable consequences if the worst scenario unfolds
On Hold Your Fire!,
@atwoodr
speaks with
@alanboswell
,
@wmshewit
,
@RobBlecher
, and Rami Dajani about escalating violence in Darfur and Israel’s looming offensive in Rafah.
0
5
6
2
26
35
Latest
@CrisisGroup
statement: ‘The army’s losses and the RSF’s need for a negotiated deal mean mediators should move with all haste.. to make progress on ending the war in Sudan. Despite the dire situation, now is not the time for fatalism or fatigue’
0
16
35
Worth catching this rich discussion on Russia in Africa. The upshot: Russia is a "virtual great power" with more breadth than depth on the continent -- but it will seek to deepen engagement as ties with the West worsen.
For years, Russia worked to rebuild influence across Africa. Now what? Does Russia have an Africa strategy, or just thrives on opportunism? And, what power plays might we expect from Moscow now?
My podcast discussion w/
@SamRamani2
. (Good to be back!)
0
10
19
3
16
33
'You will not replace a thief with another thief' is the protesters' latest slogan. A truly impressive, peaceful protest movement that will not easily be thwarted (4)
0
14
33
Jihadists have Coastal West Africa in their sights, exploiting the political discontent, radicalism and crisis of pastoralism that aided their rise in the Sahel. Great exploration of the stakes by
@CrisisGroup
's
@PaulineBax1
and
@IbrahimYahayaIb
0
16
32
Kenyatta says no changes in electoral commission before rerun. Opposition has asked for overhaul and this will be next battleground
3
40
30
Fascinating survey of Turkey's view of the world. In Somalia, Ankara is now an almost indispensable partner and is playing a much longer game than the more transactional Gulf actors.
In the past few months, Turkey has flexed its muscles in Syria, Iraq, Libya, the Eastern Mediterranean and now Nagorno-Karabakh.
Who better than
@nigargoksel
to help make sense of it?
Listen to the latest episode of
@NazModirzadeh
's and my podcast
3
13
27
1
10
31
New
@CrisisGroup
paper on ways to defuse the dangerous situation in N Darfur, where a million civilians are trapped and will suffer even more misery if full-scale fighting erupts in the city
Here,
@CrisisGroup
details the hellish ongoing showdown over El Fasher in
#Sudan
's North Darfur.
We call for more concerted efforts to de-escalate the situation, mediate safe passage for trapped civilians, and get aid to starving Darfuris.
1
63
82
0
25
31
Kenya Supreme Court finds by majority that electoral commission did not obey the law in conducting election, two judges dissent
0
30
30
New
@CrisisGroup
briefing offers proposals for breaking dangerous standoff between Kenya's politicians ahead of poll
5
36
30
Bumper week of
@CrisisGroup
publications over the past week, starring this deep dive into South Sudan's political crisis that could be a paper about most of the Horn of Africa. 1/5
1
19
31
Important analysis of Sudan’s war, ‘disastrous in its human toll’ but also tragically unfolding without receiving much attention in a country that’s central to HoA and Red Sea security by
@alanboswell
@wmshewit
and
@atwoodr
0
29
32
Sudan stands at the edge of civil war unless urgent steps are taken to rein in the military council and assorted militias that carried out a horrific massacre of civilians, says
@CrisisGroup
0
29
31
Ethiopia’s surprise port access MOU with Somaliland dominated my latest
@CrisisGroup
intvw with
@atwoodr
. We also discussed prospects for resolution in Sudan, Kenya’s regional role and evolving Red Sea dynamics.
3
11
31
Why have the transitions in Sudan and Ethiopia gone so badly wrong and what can the region do to put them back on track?
@simonmulongo
,
@KholoodKhair
and
@Temjok1
tackle these questions in this podcast produced in partnership with
@fesonline
@alanboswell
0
20
30
Papers across East Africa lead with news on historic Kenya Supreme Court judgment
#SupremeCourtDecides
1
49
28
Credit to Odinga for choosing to challenge the results in the courts rather than on the streets and especially to Kenyans for reacting so calmly after the high-pitched election drama. Multiple positives from this election.
Kenya's Odinga rejects election results, will launch legal challenge
18
19
62
1
3
29
Ruto (like other Kenyan politicians is a liar that tells the truth by accident) and Odinga (a progressive and patriot that goes to bed with dictatorships). Listen in! /6
0
13
26